Failure to Report
by MadiMayhem
Summary: After a clone base on the deserted mining world of Sonyun loses contact with the GAR, a small recon team is sent in to investigate the silence. They find out there may be more to the planet than just an abandoned mining factory.
1. Chapter 1

**Soooo, my first Clone Wars fanfiction. Like ever. My sister and I have been watching the show, although we have only just reached the middle of the fifth season. I love it none the less. This fic is a little OC ridden. I happen to like OCs...nothing Sue-ish.**

 **I hope whoever reads this, enjoys it. More is to come.**

 **Chapter One**

The Separatist ship had finally gotten an upper hand of the Republic Cruiser. The engines had finally been blasted to pieces and the whole bucket was going down for space scrap. Inside the Cruiser was havoc.

Clone troopers were evacuating in what little pods the ship had left while the fighters were taking off to hold out as long as they could against the vulture droids. The battle had been lost and the Republic had suffered great losses.

CT-1761 had been stationed at the bridge with Jedi General Gal Naratah when the thing had been blown apart. The two of them were at the moment running down the ship's hallway to the last evacuation pod.

With Naratah's blue lightsaber blade humming in his ear, CT-1761 ran for dear life. He had lost his blaster right after the bridge had been annihilated. He could hear the clankers gaining on them. He wasn't quite scared—only…no he was pretty darned scared.

"Well, just our luck, Brace!" Naratah shouted in his ear. The gray haired Jedi had a bad case of battlefield humor. The only time it showed.

"Yes sir," CT-1761, more commonly known as Brace, replied. "Sir, the, eh…Clankers are right behind us."

Naratah glanced behind and had to deflect laser bolts off of his lightsaber.

"We must hurry!" he shouted.

 _Don't need to tell me twice,_ Brace thought as he kicked up his speed. The two made it down a hallway only to both men's dismay as they ran into a group of battle droids.

The droids opened fire on them and Naratah leapt into a series of spins, ducks and graceful twirls as he deflected most of the laser bolts and managed to destroy the droids. Brace picked up one of the fallen droid's blasters and began to help with the defenses.

The droids fell one by one, each hitting the floor with varying clanks and clunks. The two picked up the pace once again as the ship was rocked with a violent spasm, likely caused by an explosion.

Momentarily off guard, Brace didn't have the chance to see the battle droid still crawling on the floor, pointing its blaster at him. Unfortunately the clone did, however notice as the laser bolt seared into him between his armor plates. The clone was helpless as he tumbled to the ground, too much in pain to breath.

Master Naratah slid to a halt and doubled back to assist the fallen man. Brace wanted so badly to tell him to go on as the ship rocked once again. Before he could complain, Narata hoisted him to his feet and began to lug him around the next corner to the emergency pods.

"Not much farther Brace," Naratah panted. Brace could see the pods now. The last one hadn't taken off yet and he could see a few of his fellow men in it.

One of the clones in the pod grabbed Brace from Naratah and another managed to cover for him.

"You'll be okay mate," the medic said as he peeled Brace's helmet off. "General, you need to hurry!"

Naratah nodded and almost stepped into the pod when a laser bolt whipped past his head. The Battle droids had unfortunately gained on them during the flight. A few more bolts flew past and managed to hit the control panel to the pod.

"Jackson, secure the wounded!" called the clone sergeant. He covered the outside with his blaster.

"The pod won't budge!" Naratah called. "The control panel has been fried."

The sergeant blasted a few more of the droids. "Any suggestions, General?"

Naratah sliced a few of the droids before answering. "I have to stay behind; I can manually launch it."

"What? That's insane, sir," the clone said. "We can think of something."

Naratah glanced about. "It's the only way. Shut the door."

The sergeant hesitated and Naratah shook his head impatiently.

Brace, despite his condition, could hear everything that was happening. "Sir, if you stay, we stay!" He groaned and clutched his side. Jackson helped him lay back down.

Naratah shook his head and gave one last look at Brace. "No, you are far more important. I'm ready to die. Now shut the door that is an order."

The sergeant gave one last look and shut the door, but not before something was thrown in and rolled with a clank at Brace's feet.

The pod began to move slowly with a scraping down, then all of the sudden it came free of the ship and flew to safety. The clones inside breathed in relief. They were silent as the ship they had been on began to combust. General Gal Naratah had not made it. His last gesture had been noble. They had made it out alive.

CT-1761 snapped awake in his bunk.

He glanced around the darkened barrack and listened to the soft breathing of his brothers. All quiet except for a loud snoring. That was Jackson.

Brace sat up in his bunk and swung his feet over the side. He ran a hand over his short dark hair. Ever since that pod had been launched off of the cruiser and the Jedi Naratah had been left behind, Brace had been having nightmares, reliving the experience. He had looked up to the crusty Jedi with admiration and confidence. He had met his end in a lowly and unfit way. It should have been he who had been left behind, or at least they could have figured a better way than to leave their commander behind.

His men were now stationed on Coruscant. Brace hadn't taken long to heal and he and the remainder of his squad had not yet been reassigned. Only Jackson—the medic—and sergeant Jory had made it of the ship alive.

Brace slid off his bunk and made it to his locker, where he kept his armor. He quietly donned the white armor, forgoing the helmet; instead he tucked it beneath his arm. Lastly he pulled aside a spare pouch and fished out the item that he had been the only one to notice as it was tossed into the escape pod, right before the door was shut.

It was Gal Naratah's lightsaber.

Brace had no idea why the general had tossed the thing. He knew it was against regulation to so much as touch a Jedi's lightsaber, let alone hide one. He couldn't part with the weapon. Even if he had wanted to, the thing stuck to him like glue.

Brace sighed and put the weapon back. He wouldn't worry about it now.

* * *

"Gal Naratah's death is a grievance to us all," so the words were. To Jedi knight Palla Tadé they seemed stiff and formal. Something her previous master had a problem with. Her previous Master Naratah, that is.

Palla sighed shook her head; the many braid clasps in her hair tinkled. Naratah had always said she should be rid of them: an enemy could hear them from anywhere.

The Jedi walked through the halls of the temple to her room. She slid the door open and closed it behind her. Privacy was the best thing she could think of. She slid to the floor and crossed her legs.

Palla began to meditate, hoping that would help quench the painful grief that was threatening to boil over. It didn't help much as the tears she had been holding back from the council began to spill over.

There was a knock on her door and she hurried to her feet. Palla wiped the tears from her eyes and set her features straight. She opened her door and looked down at the youngling who was serving as a messenger.

"You're wanted by Master Windu, Master Kenobi and…" the youngling trailed off. "You're just wanted in the communications room."

Palla couldn't help but smile at the awkwardness of the little youngling. "Run along and tell them that I'll be there."

The boy ran off, leaving Palla to make her way slowly to the communications room. She loathed going and having to face more sympathetic looks.

The communications room held plans for battles and strategies the Jedi were using to fight the separatists. Palla entered the room and glanced about. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was there, as with his former Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. Mace Windu and Master Yoda were also there. They seemed to be waiting for Palla.

Palla bowed respectfully and placed her hands within the folds of her cloak.

"Masters, Anakin," she said.

The sympathetic looks were cast and Palla had to hold her breath to keep from bursting with frustration.

"Palla, I trust you are well," Obi-Wan asked lightly.

"As well as can be expected Master Kenobi. I hear you needed me?" she prompted.

"We have a problem," said Anakin. The young Jedi never hesitated to delve straight to the point.

"A few hours ago we lost contact with a platoon of clones who were setting up a communication point on the planet of Sonyun. As you know, that planet had recently been liberated from the Separatists and we needed to establish the best possible station on it," he continued.

Mace Windu picked up. "We're going to send you, Anakin, and his Padawan to Sonyun to investigate the disappearance. Each of you is going to take a number of clones with you for the trip. If you encounter anything strange you need to be able to set up a temporary base to help us send in reinforcements," he said.

"With haste, this must be done," Yoda said.

Anakin and Palla bowed low before the Masters and both took their leave. Outside the room, Anakin was met with his apprentice, a young Togruta.

"What's the situation, Master?" she asked. Anakin filled her in on the situation. He turned behind him and caught Palla's eye.

"Ah, Snips, this is Palla Tadé," he said. Palla nodded.

"Hello young one," she replied.  
"Palla, this is my apprentice, Ahsoka Tano," Anakin finished. Ahsoka smiled shyly.

"Hi," she extended her hand, which Palla took in her own light brown one.

"Anakin, I've not yet been assigned to a clone squad. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that this is my first mission outside the temple," Palla said.

Anakin shrugged, "That should be easily taken care of. There is a barracks that we can pick up a squad from. No harm done."

* * *

"Brace! Jackson! To the deck immediately!"

Clone Trooper Jackson hung his head in despair and flung aside the tablet he was reading from. "I wonder what the old blowhard wants now."

Brace on his side of the barrack looked up. He set aside the blaster he was cleaning and jumped off his bunk.

"Whatever he wants, we should better get a move on. 'Else the sergeant will have a rancor," he grunted.

Jackson sniggered and plucked up his helmet. "Who knows, perhaps it'll be our promotions?"

"In your dreams."

The two made their way to the upper deck and found sergeant Jory. They stood at attention and gave a short salute.

"Sir!"

Jory surveyed the two and turned to the two Jedi behind him.

"Both present sir," he said. The one he knew to be the infamous Anakin Skywalker. The Jedi smiled at him and nodded.

"Right, and you haven't been assigned to a unit yet?"

The sergeant shook his head. "No sir. We're the last of Sarlacc squadron."

The older Jedi woman stepped forward. "I think they'll do, Anakin; I mean I don't really need a full squad? Do I?"

Both men looked at her funnily. Anakin replied slowly.

"I suppose not," he turned back to Jory. "Are your men up to it?"

"Ready as ever, sir," he said.

Brace from his point of view was astonished. Either the woman was overly confident in their abilities or she was plain over stupid. He looked at her again, sizing her up.

She had to be at least thirty, dark haired and skinned, not overly attractive. At least to him. She didn't look the warrior type, more like the peaceful book worm sort.

He wished fervently that she would prove her worth in _something_ and that they wouldn't need to tag along under an incompetent General. He didn't need another Naratah.

The Jedi looked at him almost as if she knew he was thinking about her. Brace avoided her eyes. He got a sort of clammy cramped up feeling in his gut, and then it was gone. Whatever the feeling was, he didn't like it.


	2. Chapter 2

**So this one has been hanging about in Word for a while. Took some time finishing it. Anyway, thanks for the reviews! And thank you Anthio for that review. I'm happy you like. Sorry I can't reply...**

 **Well, my OCs are beginning to shape. Can you tell that I love Jackson?**

 **Chapter Two**

Palla was in the hold of the transport _Griffin_ when one of the troopers informed her that they had just left hyper speed.

Palla stood up from her cross-legged position and made sure her lightsaber was safely clipped to her belt. She looked up at the clone waiting for her. He still had his helmet on as he bent down and scooped up a pack with a medical insignia.

"Jackson, correct?" she asked. The clone nodded and slung the pack over one shoulder.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Palla smiled, "I'll apologize; I'm not very good at remembering names. So I may ask you a few times…to be sure," she said.

Jackson was silent for an awkward amount of time.

"Well, after you," the Jedi said with a wave of her arm.

Jackson led Palla to the cabin and left her there while he fetched some of his supplies. Or so he had claimed.

Jory and Brace manned the controls and flew in a sort of formation along with Anakin and Ahsoka's ship, the _Twilight._

"So we've reached Sonyun?" Palla said peering out the window at the dismal looking sort of planet ahead of them.

"Aye, Ma'am. Straight ahead. I've just sent a transmission to General Skywalker's ship; he wants to speak with you," Jory said.

Palla leaned forward, "that can be arranged."

Jory motioned for Brace to open the frequency. A blue fuzzy image of Anakin popped up on the dash.

"Palla, I've already got the coordinates for the station. Though I would like to land a few kilometers away from the place, in case it may be overrun; I'll go first and you follow me down."

Palla nodded. "Fine."

"Out," said Anakin. The image disappeared and Palla straightened back up.

"Alright, you all heard, we follow," she said. "I want you to stay close—"

Palla stopped short. Jory looked up at the Jedi. She had a strange look on her face, almost as if she were trying to listen hard to something.

"We have a tail," she said finally.

Jory looked down at the scanner. "Eh…I have nothing on the scanner ma'am."

Palla tapped her lip and closed her eyes. The clones were silent.

"No, it's right behind us," she said. "Send word through to the _Twilight."_

Brace leaned in to Jory. "Sir, I have a bad feeling about this. I think the General's right," he said lowly.

"Of course I am," Palla said. She had to grab a chair to keep from being flung on her behind as the ship lurched.

"Where did that come from?!" Jory shouted as he corrected the ship. They watched as a small frigate zoomed over head of them and made a turn.

"It's coming back at us; set up evasive action now," Jory said. His orders cracked through the cabin like a whip, causing Brace to snap into action.

The ship twirled around and managed to avoid a stream of laser fire from the opposing ship.

The _Twilight_ seemed to figure out what was going on and was speeding around to help. The ship bore down the _Griffin_ and Jory jerked the controls in a roll.

At that moment, Jackson tumbled into the cabin. "What the heck is going on?" he shouted. Palla motioned for him to grab onto something.

"Some ship just came outta nowhere, that's what!" Brace shouted. A small explosion on the right side of the _Griffin_ told them that they were hit.

"Hold on, they got a wing!" Jory said as the ship began to spin wildly out of control.

From the _Twilight_ Anakin watched as the _Griffin_ began to spin dangerously down to Sonyun's surface.

"Where did that come from?" Ahsoka cried. "They're going down!"

Anakin ground his teeth. "I _know_ Snips, that ship won't let me get close to them!"

As soon as the pilot of the mystery ship saw that the _Griffin_ was done, it turned on the _Twilight_. Anakin spun out of the way and managed to avoid the laser bolts.

"Damn, we can't possibly help Palla now." Anakin ground his teeth in anger. Whoever the pilot to the ship was, they were good. Anakin couldn't help the _Griffin_ even if he wanted to. He was too busy trying not to get pulverized by the hail of lasers.

He had to hope that they could at least make a crash landing on Sonyun.

The _Griffin_ was almost completely out of control as it began its spinning descent through the atmosphere and to the ground that was getting ever closer.

"Sergeant, can you land this thing?" Palla shouted from her position in back.

"I can land it, but it won't be pretty," Jory replied. Both he and Brace were straining at the controls trying to keep the _Griffin_ straight.

Closer the ship plummeted to the ground until it smashed, belly side up and skidded to a stop at the foot of a large bank of rocks. As the dust began to settle, the pale yellow glow of a lightsaber began to sear a hole through the top. As soon as the cutting was done, the cover was thrown off.

Palla bent down to help Jackson lug Brace and Jory out of the wreck of the _Griffin_. The two had taken the most of the damage when the ship had decided to flop.

"Will they be alright?" Palla asked as she helped Jackson lay the two unconscious troopers on the ground beside the fallen ship.

"Yeah, they should come to any moment, Ma'am," Jackson replied. "Lucky thing they were wearing their helmets," he said as he peeled the two's helmets off. "'Else it may not have looked as good," he said.

Palla looked up at the sky; she couldn't see any trace of either the Twilight or the phantom ship.

"I wonder where that ship came from," she mumbled. Palla turned back around and was pleased to see both troopers regaining consciousness under the expert care of Jackson. The Jedi walked over and crouched beside the two. Jory was the first to sit up.

He ran a hand over his flat topped hair and looked around him. He winced visibly at the wreck. "I knew it wouldn't be pretty. Sorry General," he said.

Palla shook her head. "You didn't have much of a choice, Sergeant."

"How did you know there was a ship behind us?"

Palla turned to face Brace; the clone had his arm slung over one knee. She noticed a small amount of blood on his head; probably from his head slamming too hard in his helmet.

"I could sense a presence through the force"—almost to herself she added—"a rather noticeable one too."

"General Naratah was able to do that sometimes," Jackson said as he stowed something away in his pack.

"I know, I was his Padawan," Palla replied. The clones fell silent.

"We should try and make contact with Skywalker." Palla quickly changed the subject.

"I don't think we have to," Jory pointed up at sky. They watched as the phantom ship came hurtling down to the surface, its engine in flames. The _Twilight_ wasn't far behind it.

"Well that makes matters less complicated," Palla said. She stood up straight and wiped her hands on her trousers. She moved her arm close to her face and switched on her comlink.

"Anakin? Anakin come in," she said. The little device lit up and Anakin's voice sounded back.

"Master Tadé, are you alright? I saw your ship crash," he replied.

"No casualties, thankfully," Palla glanced back at the wreck, "I'm afraid we won't be leaving in the _Griffin_ anytime soon."

"I'm going to land and pick you guys up. I want to take a look at that phantom ship," he said.

"Affirmative. That ship may have something to do with the loss of contact with the base."

Palla clicked her link off and turned around. "General Skywalker is going to pick us up from here. We should try and salvage as much as we can from the ship."

The clones saluted and moved off to the ship and wriggled through the hole that Palla's lightsaber had made. Palla glanced up at the sky where she could see the smoke trail still lingering in the blue sky.

 _A strong presence for whoever that was,_ Palla tapped her lip thoughtfully, _almost as if they were waiting for us. Obviously they don't want us here…but why?_

With a mental shrug Palla jogged back to the wreckage and jumped in through the hole.

Brace snorted in annoyance when Jackson gave a very unsoldierly squeal as he picked up the rotating blaster that had happened to make it through the crash. Jackson was busy disabling the communications and basically destroying any salvageable electronical parts left in the vehicle.

Brace swung a pack of ammunition over his shoulder. He had picked up two DC-17's for himself and his sergeant. Jackson seemed content with his heavy weapon. Brace was at least happy that his preferred weapon, a long powerful blaster rifle, was still intact. He swung that over his other shoulder too.

He turned to climb out of the hole and almost ran face first into the shorter Jedi general. The woman had appeared silently and it slightly spooked Brace, who normally could detect a sneaker pretty well.

"Sorry, Ma'am…," he said as he moved around her. The Jedi nodded and moved to Jory.

"What're you doing, sergeant?" she asked.

"I'm making this ship virtually impossible to selvage. See, if left intact, some pirates or scavengers could use this stuff, or the Seppies could track us from our past locations in the computer, Sir," he said. Palla looked as if she barely had a clue what he had just said.

"Oh," Palla cleared her throat. "Good work, I probably would not have thought of that…"

Jory let a grin slip on his face. "It's alright Ma'am, nothin' to worry about."

"Hey!" Jackson called from the hole. "The _Twilight_ just landed. We're ready to go, General!"

Jory and Palla both crawled out of the hole and into daylight. Anakin's Padawan was helping Jackson with a pack while Anakin was instructing a clone captain in something the two couldn't hear.

"Nice to see you made it," Palla called as she jumped down. Her landing was softened by the slight use of the force.

Anakin looked smug. "Well, I must congratulate you on your landing. Very…" he paused. "Spectacular."

Palla raised an eyebrow. "Please have mercy on a rookie," she said sarcastically. "Nice shot by the way. I hope we can find the pilot, if they survived."

"We located the wreck, it's not that far from here. I left two scouts there to make sure if someone moved from the wreck. They should report in if they see anything," Anakin replied.

Palla nodded, "Hmm…how did they know we were here?"

Anakin shrugged. "Not sure."

"Ship's ready, Master," Ahsoka called as she ran up to the two.

"Good, Snips. Let's check out that wreckage."

The site of the wreck was silent as the ship smoldered in a small crater in the rocky ground. A strange sort of finned ship with dual engines; it was definitely not a separatist ship. The _Twilight_ landed close to the wreck.

The Jedi and their clone troopers quickly made a cautious circle around the ship. Nothing stirred.

"Do you think the pilot didn't make it?" Ahsoka offered. Anakin walked up to the ship.

"No way; whoever piloted the ship isn't here now." He turned to Rex. "Rex, see if you can call the scouts up on your comlink."

"I already did sir, I got nothing," the captain replied.

"Perhaps they had a run in with the pilot," Palla suggested. "I think it'd be wiser to go investigate rather than stand about wondering."

"General's right sir," Rex replied. "We can post a guard here.

Anakin nodded. "Right. Ahsoka, you're coming with me."

Captain Rex ordered four of his men to accompany him with Skywalker. Palla and her team set up a guard around the wreck.

"Be careful, Anakin!" she called.

"Don't worry," Anakin said. "I'm always careful."

* * *

The hike up to the hideout was short but slightly exhausting—the rock faces on Sonyun were difficult to scale. The rocks were made of a sort of shale; a layered rock that crumbled easily underfoot.

Ahsoka was the first up to the top. She hurried ahead, being mindful to watch out for any suspicious movement. There was no sign of the guards.

Ahsoka took a step forward and her foot hit something that caused her to look down. It was the basic white helmet that all clone troopers wore. She bent down to pick it up.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she said.

She waited till the others crested the hill and she showed Anakin the helmet.

"Looks like someone got here before us," she said. She handed the helmet over to her master. The four clone troopers who had come up with them came back from a slight search.

"We found them sir," one said. "They're all dead."

"Looks like they were ambushed; they had no chance," said another. "Some sort of energy blade. Cut right through their armor."

He showed another helmet to Anakin. This one had a burnt sort of slash through the faceplate.

Anakin crushed his fist in frustration. "We should get back to the wreck. I have the feeling we may find the same thing at the outpost."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the gigantic wait guys. I was out of town for most of the week and didn't have much of a chance to write. Well I'm making up for it. The chapter's quite long this time. Yay!**

 **First thing: thanks to Solstix and Athio for commenting.**

 **Answering your review, Athio: The reason the clones haven't met Palla is because she was, as you suggested, one of Gal's earlier Padawans. Palla is 34 years old.**

 **And yes, Jackson is very...eh, unique like that. Glad you love them! I agree with you on the killing thing. Peaople for the Ethical Treatment of Clones. If you want them as your babies, fine by me! Glad you think of them that way! I'm so glad you gave me that whopper review. I love reading those! I strive to make every one in character. So, yeah. Unfortunately I cant reply to you directly...apparently you are under guest. No matter.**

 **Oh and check me out at Deviantart under the username Madailein-Wilton! Just type it in with deviantart at the end and I should pop up. Working on some fan art for TCW.**

 **Chapter Three**

The _Twilight_ landed back by the site of the wreckage. It was clear to see, from the somber moods of the other clones that the scout had not survived. What killed them…that was a mystery.

"We still have to check the base," Palla said. She, Anakin and Ahsoka were in conference.

"I agree, only," Anakin rubbed his brow. "We can't leave the wreck alone. Whatever killed the clones may return here so we need to have a guard on it at all times."

"Yeah, but we can't sacrifice any more of our men," Ahsoka said. "Whatever killed those two is definitely no match for a few clones, no matter how skilled. We don't even know if there's more than one!"

Palla crossed her arms over her chest. "I agree with the Padawan. The base is our main priority, but we must also be mindful of whoever did this."

The three were silent. Splitting up was normally a bad idea, but when splitting up with an unknown assassin on the loose…it was a horrible decision.

"I can stay behind with my men," Palla said after a moment. "If whoever did this _does_ come back, I'm sure they won't count in a Jedi. I would probably sense them anyway."

Anakin shook his head. "I still don't like this. Being picked of like rodents in the dark."

"Master Palla's right. At least she'll have the upper hand," Ahsoka looked up at Palla. "I think she's got a point."

Palla laid a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Relax; finding the base is more important. I'll be fine. I trained under one of the most paranoid Jedi in the order, remember? I can handle it."

Anakin shrugged. "Alright, fine. Stay in contact. Do a check every hour, that should keep us on our toes."

* * *

"Why do we have to stay back and guard the crummy wreck?" Jackson grumbled as he and Brace split up watch. Brace slung his rifle across his shoulder and then strapped the DC-17 to his leg.

"Because, it's important and you really shouldn't be questioning orders," Brace replied. He tossed another blaster to Jackson. The medic looked positively seething.

"The 501st gets to do everything," Jackson tugged at the ring in his ear. It seemed to be his good luck charm. "Anyway, I never see you not questioning orders."

Brace rolled his eyes. It was true, he was a bit of a Maverick, nothing he ever got in trouble for though.

"Ugh, look," Brace slipped his helmet over his head. "Can we just do this?"

"Right…right," Jackson pulled his helmet on and slung his blaster on his shoulder. He began to walk off to his post.

"Don't forget the night vision! And pay attention to your surroundings this time!" Brace shouted after him.

Jackson waved back. "Thank you mommy."

Palla sat cross legged in front of the wrecked vehicle; she overheard the petty argument her men were having. Nothing she should take action against. Just some simple soldierly things she assumed they did.

The sergeant—his name escaped her—walked over and squatted beside her. His helmet was off and she could just make out his face in the darkening light.

"The guard is posted," he said.

"Thank you…forgive me," Palla looked up at him. "What did you say your name was?"

"Eh…I never—uh…it's Jory, Ma'am."

Palla nodded. "Thank you then, Jory."

Palla watched as the clone fitted his helmet on and awkwardly walked off to take up a post. Palla chuckled to herself and unclipped her lightsaber from her belt. She set the weapon in her lap, within reach.

She closed her eyes and opened up her mind to the force.

* * *

"There it is!" Ahsoka leaned forward in her seat and pointed down at the top of a bunker. The bunker, like everything else on Sonyun, was grey. Anakin steered the ship down and landed near the bunker.

"Hey, what happens if we're seen?" Ahsoka asked as she got out of her seat. Anakin shrugged.

"I don't think it really matters by now, Snips." Anakin gave a look at the bunker; he had the uncomfortable feeling that they were being watched. He followed his Padawan out of the ship and glanced over to where Rex had his men fallen out. The captain was giving them a quick rundown as far as Anakin could tell. He glanced up at the sky. It had grown dark fast.

 _The sun must set faster here,_ he thought idly. The dark would make things more complicated but the base had to be checked immediately.

They made their way to the entrance of the bunker. Rex and his men split into two groups that flanked both sides of the doorway. He signaled two men to sidle up to the door with weapons ready. Anakin crept closer to the door, his lightsaber held ready in his hand.

Anakin nodded to Rex, who in turn gave a hand signal to the two clone troopers by the door. They shouldered the door open and pointed their blasters inside.

Nothing moved.

"I'm not sure I like this…" Ahsoka whispered. Anakin couldn't help but agree.

Anakin jumped down from his position and opened up to the Force. He didn't sense anything out of place. He shrugged mentally; _it's either now or never._

His lightsaber ignited and he slowly walked into the entrance. Ahsoka was directly behind him, her green lightsabers casting an eerie glow against her ochre skin.

"Night vision mates," Rex called quietly behind him. He slid his own eye peace down over his visor.

"Wouldn't want to run into anything," sounded a clone from the back. A few men sniggered.

They moved silently down the hallway. Their footsteps were the only noise, although it seemed strangely muffled. They saw no signs of battle droids and clones alike.

"We should check the control room," Rex said. Anakin nodded, he valued the captain for his intellect.

They found the control room without trouble—and the clones.

* * *

Brace was glad he was wearing his armor. The temperature had dropped rapidly after the sun had gone down. Though he could feel a bit of a bite against the patches of un- protected areas in his armor where his under suit poked out.

He could see Jackson from his position by the bow of the wreck. He turned to his right and walked a few paces.

The Jedi hadn't moved from her spot.

Brace adjusted his shoulder plate. He kept checking on the woman every so often. He could see her breath come in little puffs of air.

 _I wonder if she gets cold,_ he mused curiously. He shrugged; the Jedi weren't his business. They were odd types.

Gal Naratah was proof of that; all that paranoia and look where it had landed him. Brace walked back to his original position. He wondered why he had never met his Padawan though. He thought they usually worked together.

The night vision he had on cast a strange green light over everything he saw. Despite training and the bringing up of clones, the night vision had always given Brace the creeps. He hated the feeling of thinking he saw something when he really didn't. Jackson would never let him live it down…if he knew.

The rotation began again and Brace had to swap places with Jackson. The troopers crossed in by the wrecked engines and briefly met in the middle.

"It's gotten cold," Jackson grumbled. The light hearted mood he had on earlier had vanished…along with the warmth of the day.

Brace let out a puff off air as he studied the rocks a few meters away from the wreck. "I know. I read a little about this planet before we left. It drops well below freezing at night," he said.

"Thanks…really helpful. Next time pack the extra underwear. My toosh is completely numb." Jackson rubbed his hands together and then stuck them beneath his armpits. Brace rolled his eyes and slapped Jackson on the shoulder.

"Suck it up Jacks, we've been through worse," Brace chuckled, "not to mention without underwear too."

The two walked off to their swapped positions and began there pacing once again.

* * *

The troop walked slowly into the command room. All about were scattered the white armor clad remnants of the 82nd. Men were scattered everywhere; their helmets, chests and various other parts bore the blackened slashing of the unfamiliar weapon.

Rex bent down and closed the eyes of one of the fallen clones. The slaughter was horrifying and angering at the same time. The captain removed his helmet and clutched it under his arm.

"General, they had no warning…whoever did this…" Rex diverted his eyes from the massacre. "Whoever did this could not have been alone. It's impossible."

Anakin shook his head in disgust. "These marks were made with the same weapon, Rex."

Rex said nothing.

"We should at least move the dead. Try and give them decent burials," he said finally.

Anakin nodded and pointed out a few troopers to begin moving the bodies. Anakin turned to Ahsoka.

"I need you and Rex to take the halls down the left side of the bunker; I'll take the right side. Contact me if you see anything."

Ahsoka nodded and waited for Rex to slip his helmet back over his head. The two headed out at a slight jog.

"That way must lead to the storage room below," Rex pointed out a double door at the end of the hall. Ahsoka slowed to a walk and pulled out her lightsabers.

"Right, I'll go first, you cover me," she said.

Ahsoka used the force to undo the lock. The circular lock spun and clicked open, letting the doors slide open with a hiss. Ahsoka slowly and cautiously eased herself into the room.

Boxes were piled up high, almost to the ceiling. Ahsoka checked those…she found nothing. Her keen hearing suddenly picked up a sound. A slight scuff. Almost like a footstep.

She motioned for Rex to keep down and silent. The captain sunk to a crouch, twin blasters at the ready.

Ahsoka walked a few paces ahead and listened for the noise. It stopped just as she slowed down. She signaled for Rex to cut up next to her. He quietly made his way next to her.

"What's the situation?" he asked. Ahsoka pointed ahead.

"I heard some footsteps up that way."

Rex mad a slight humming sound and switched down his night vision. "They've probably already heard us. We could surprise them somehow."

Ahsoka was silent for a moment. With a grin she snapped her fingers. "One of us can distract them while the other switches on the lights. The lights will temporarily blind them!"

Rex nodded, "Good thinking commander."

"I'll distract them, you take the lights," Ahsoka said. Rex nodded and scurried off.

As Ahsoka began to move she heard the footsteps move again and she upped her pace. The footsteps quickened and Ahsoka wound around a corner and waited till the footsteps came closer…closer.

"Now Rex!"

The lights came on and the young Jedi leapt out, both lightsabers ignited. As her eyes became adjusted she was able to get a good look at the stalker.

It was a clone.

"Wait J-Jedi!" the clone stammered. He was youngish—as young as an active duty clone could get. Plus his armor was white as could be. A shiny.

"What'd we get Commander?" Rex asked as he whipped around the corner. He stopped in astonishment at the un-helmeted clone trooper. The kid even had his hands up in the air in a surrender gesture.

"Trooper! What's your name?" Rex barked.

"CT-4232, sir!"

Rex shook his head and moved the trooper's arms down. "Ehhh… at ease…son. Your name?"

The trooper stared at Rex like he was crazy. "They're all dead. The others. I was only gone a moment…I-I was counting inventory," he stuttered. "It came out of nowhere!"

Rex and Ahsoka looked at each other.

"You saw who did this?" Ahsoka asked. The trooper shook his head.

"The power went down. The others…I couldn't find them so I stayed here. I shouldn't have. There was a lot of noise…"

Rex laid a hand on the trooper's shoulder. "Look, it's important that you tell us what happened."

"R-right…" the trooper cleared his throat. "I-I'm sorry sir …my names Skip sir."

Rex smiled wryly; the name suited the kid. "Fine, come with us Skip. You have no idea how valuable you are to us."

The trooper Skip was taken to the control room and sat down on a chair and Anakin sat down across from him. The trooper looked positively stiff with anxiety…or perhaps fear? Anakin couldn't tell.

"How long ago did this happen? How long were you in the storage room?" Anakin asked. Skip swallowed hard; his skin was pale and clammy.

"I-I don't know exactly…maybe a day. I never went out," he said hoarsely. "When we came here…we heard things—at night. When it got cold, we could hardly see because this fog—" The trooper's eyes roamed to the floor then back up at Anakin; they were wide with fear. "We never saw anything like it. We sent out a sentry the first night…to scout for separatists. They never came back. We found them in the morning. They were both dead…we heard things about this place. The natives said they wouldn't come here. They said it was _Sacred._ "

The trooper gave a shudder and fell silent. Anakin glanced up at Rex. The captain had his face scrunched into a confused look.

The trooper ran a hand over his head and balled his fist under his chin. His other hand began clenching and un-clenching.

"Ahsoka, did you happen to do any research before we left?" Anakin asked; he had little hope that she did. Looking embarrassed, Ahsoka shook her head.

"I'll try and send a transmission through to Obi-Wan then," Anakin said.

"You can't."

The three of them looked down at the young trooper. His face was even paler.

"We tried, too…we did. Our transmissions never got through. They were blocked. We ran scans…no interference from any ship or device. Someone didn't want us here." Skip laid his head back in his hand and began to mutter unintelligibly to himself.

"Somebody get a medic over here and take care of this man!" Rex shouted.

Anakin looked troubled by what Skip had said. Ahsoka nervously tapped her lightsaber hilt.

"Sooo…what do we do?" she asked. Anakin shook his head.

"We should at least try to make contact with Obi-Wan. In the meantime, Ahsoka, I need you to pick up Master Tadé and her squad. I don't want to leave them out there alone. Not anymore at least."

* * *

Palla shivered against the cold and opened her eyes. She was surprised by the amount of fog that had settled over the ground. It was almost waist high, and very dense. Palla stood slowly, letting her legs stretch out. She walked around the end of the bend, looking for any sign of her squad.

She could hardly see much in the dark, but was able to sense her surroundings well enough. She caught a glimpse of something in her peripheral vision. When she turned her head she saw nothing.

 _I'm only working myself up,_ she thought. She felt a twinge of annoyance. Gal would be on her back end if he knew what she was thinking about.

"General? Is that you?"

Palla let out a hiccupping gasp. She took a step backwards and stepped on someone's foot. She felt hands catch her waist and keep her from falling over.

"General, it's alright! It's only me." Palla recognized the voice of a clone. She turned around to face the trooper who had spooked her. It was the medic, Jackson…he was holding himself awkwardly.

"Thought you might've been a creeper, ma'am. Sorry I scared you," he said sheepishly. Palla felt a smile tug at her lips.

"I guess the darkness is getting to us all. When did the fog start?" she asked. Jackson shrugged.

"Maybe an hour ago…started rolling in really slow like. Kinda creepy. I was on my way to make a—" He stopped suddenly and perked his head up. Palla raised an eyebrow and reached out with the force. She felt as if she had been slugged in the stomach as a wave of something washed over her. She was momentarily caught off guard and didn't notice as a small metal sphere rolled with a tinkle between her and Jackson. The medic glanced down and gave a start.

"Grenade!" With catlike reflexes he scooped the thing up and chucked it away from them. He slammed into her and the two rolled to the ground, with Jackson on top. The grenade went off, showering them with little bits of dirt and rock.

"General, you alright?" Jackson asked as he rolled off of her. Palla gave a nod and watched as he rolled to his knees, rifle to the ready.

Palla ignited her lightsaber and peered into the rocky darkness. She heard another small explosion.

"That'll be the sergeant and Brace's end…" Jackson mused. He waited for Palla and the two jogged over to where Brace and Jory were located. Palla's heart thudded in her chest; she prayed desperately not to find their bodies.

"Watch out!"

Palla skidded to a stop when a figure thudded down in front of her. The Jedi was caught off guard as a foot slammed into her stomach. She let out a gush of air and fell onto one knee. Her lightsaber flew to one side and she had to roll away as another foot was aimed at her face.

Blaster fire was aimed at the agile figure, who dodged it easily. Palla scrambled to her feet and scooped up her lightsaber; her stomach ached dully, making her feel nauseous.

"Jackson, the others?" she called.

"Here, ma'am!"

Palla had to snap her mind back as a short saber blade slashed at her side. She focused her attention on the figure in front of her. The assailant was holding two short saber-like blades in a punch grip knife stance. Palla re-ignited her lightsaber and only just managed to block a lightning fast strike.

They were fast. Fast and deadly. Palla blocked as many strikes as she could; her lightsaber danced in yellow streaks. The squad was firing laser bolts at the assailant who blocked them with flicks of their knife of plain danced out of the way.

Palla was beginning to grow weary and she cursed herself for not practicing more often with her blade.

Her vision began to focus on the figure before her. The way they moved led her to believe it might have been some sort of female. Palla aimed a force blow to the assailant, who flew backwards and it the side of the wreck.

Palla was jerked back by a grip on the back of her tunic. She looked behind her and stumbled to catch up with the sergeant who had jerked her. She hadn't noticed during her fight with the mystery attacker that the _Twilight_ had returned.

"Come on! We have to get out of here!" he growled. A laser bolt flew past his helmet. Their attacker was back on her feet and firing laser bolts at them now.

They barely had enough time to jump onto the ship without getting caught by the rapid and accurate fire. Palla was practically thrown on the ship by Jory as he took a blaster bolt to his shoulder plate. Luckily for him it didn't penetrate.

"Who even was that?!" Jackson panted as the ramp closed and they were safely in the air. Brace removed his helmet and glanced over the others.

"I think that might have been our phantom pilot," he said. Jackson tugged his helmet off and scratched at the single strip of hair running down his head.

"Whoever it was, they were certainly well trained with those…knives," Palla panted. She clipped her lightsaber to her belt. The ache in her stomach was down to a dull thudding pain.

Jory looked at her in concern, "You may want to have Jackson look at that Ma'am."

Palla frowned at him, "I doubt a bruise is that life threatening Jory," she said. Jory shook his head.

"Ah, actually you must have been caught by one of those knife things."

Palla looked down in surprise and saw that her tunic was seared by her ribs and then she suddenly felt an odd burning in her side.

"Oh," she exclaimed. "I hadn't realized…"

Jackson swung a pack from his shoulders and bent down by Palla. "That happens sometimes. You get so much adrenaline that you don't realize you've been hit and…" he paused and pulled back the charred strips of fabric. "And well, you know, are wounded. Some guys go that way. Don't know they got hit, and then battle over—bam—they're dead."

Palla looked at him flatly. "I think you talk too much."

Jackson grinned and shrugged. He helped her pull off her belt and tunic, then he inspected her wound.

"Looks like just a scratch. Though it'll probably sting for a while," he said as he smeared an ointment on her side and placed a bandage over it.

Palla thanked him, slipped her tunic back over her head and clipped her belt back on. She stood and headed to the cockpit.

The young Togruta Padawan was piloting the ship. She turned and gave a sort of relieved look to Palla.

"Looks like the pilot found you, huh?" she asked. Palla slipped into the passenger seat.

"Apparently. Did you find anything at the base?" she replied.

Ahsoka related what had happened to Palla. Palla tapped her lip and rested her elbows on her knees.

"I managed to do some research before we left. Apparently Sonyun had a legend about a sacred well. The locals worshiped it, from a distance. Something like a 'well of souls'?" Palla shook her head. "I don't believe it much, a lot of supposed religions and hocus pocus. Although with some of the things you described…I could almost believe it." Palla glanced down out the window. The entire ground was covered in fog. She could just barely see the base.

They ship landed just outside the entrance of the base. Ahsoka led the way inside and they were greeted by Anakin.

Palla related what had happened and Anakin took it well enough.

"So, you never got a good look? What makes you think it was female?" he asked.

Palla shrugged. "Moved like one. Was almost faster than myself."

Anakin glanced at her charred tunic. "I can see that. Rex has already set up a good perimeter around the place. We should at least keep trying to send a message through."

* * *

Brace pulled off his chest plate and placed that on the side of his bunk in the barracks. He, along with Jackson, had been ordered to rest up before taking the next watch. Jackson was busy trying to communicate with the soldier…Brace wracked his brain for the soldier's name. Kip…Chip?

"Skip?"

Jackson was trying to get the trooper to roll over. "Come on kid, relax. Nothing's going to hurt you. You're with your brothers."

"We already tried that you know,"

Brace glanced at the medic trooper lounging in the door way to the barracks. He hadn't even heard him walk up.

Jackson rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Kix, right?"

The medic nodded. Jackson shrugged and stood up. "Well he's gone. Wonder what got him so badly."

"You're just going to leave him?" Brace asked. The kid couldn't be _that_ bad.

"There isn't much we can do for him," Kix replied.

"So you're not going to do anything?" Brace stood up and looked over at the balled form of the trooper. Jackson rolled his eyes and made a gagging sound.

"Eugh, Brace, stop being so melodramatic. We can't do much for him here. It's not like we're going to kill him," he said. "I think you take things way too seriously."

"You're supposed to, stupid."

Kix looked amused. "I have the feeling that this is an ongoing thing?"

Jackson nodded. "Meet CT-1761, or Brace. Or just Captain Drama."

Brace groaned and aimed a kick at Jackson's rear. Jackson dodged to the side, laughing.

"Anyway, I need to repack some things," Jackson said. He scooped up his med pack and gave a little wave to Brace.

"Sleep tight, sweet one. Keep an eye on the duckling too," he said. Brace threw a shoulder plate at Jackson. The medic dodged out the door before it hit him.

Brace grunted and removed the rest of his armor. He was bone tired and where he had been shot a few weeks ago was aching. He checked about to see if Skip had moved at all. The trooper was still curled in a ball and facing the wall.

Brace pulled off his boots and stretched out on the bunk. He didn't like the feeling the base had given him when they had arrived. It was almost as if they were being watched constantly.

The surprise attack at the wreck had caught them off guard. He and Jory had been making a rotation and all of the sudden a grenade had popped out of nowhere. Luckily Jory had batted it to the side in time.

Brace looked at the top of the bunk. Why, if he was so tired, could he not fall asleep? He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. Sometimes it helped him sleep. All he saw was the republic cruiser exploding…over and over. He opened his eyes again.

 _Come on, pull it together!_ Brace chided himself. _You're not some weak minded loony. Just drop it._

He rolled over and began counting.

* * *

Tuva Libath crouched by the wreck of her ship. The Jedi pilot had managed to decimate the thing, making it un-flyable. She slipped her night vision goggles back over her eyes and surveyed the familiar landscape.

The young Jedi woman had nearly fallen to her. She wasn't very good with that lightsaber of hers. Tuva snorted. She had been trained with the traditional _Ka'ani_ knives since she was old enough to stand. She was a proud priestess of the Well.

 _Or at least an acolyte_. Tuva slunk into her ship. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that the Republic scum stayed away from the catacombs. She had a job to do and couldn't have them in the way. The group of soldiers had captured the old fort not from the Separatists. They had barely any fight that way. No one came there anymore. _Once the natives worshiped the Well—not anymore,_ she thought.

She pulled up her transmitter and dialed in a few buttons. A blue figure appeared in her hand.

"My lord," she said in a soft husky sort of voice.

The figure crossed its arms. "Tuva, is the base cleared?"

"Not yet, a group has just re-established a sentry there. Three Jedi were sent also."

"Most disappointing."

Tuva chewed her lip. "Yes Lord. I can still infiltrate and retrieve it."

"I do hope so. I wouldn't want another disappointment. I want it in my possession as soon as possible."

The figure disappeared and Tuva gave a shudder. The only reason she was working for that…whatever he was, was because he promised her freedom of the Well. The Well was all that mattered. It was sacred.

 **Sorry Athio, I killed more clones :(**


	4. Chapter 4

**OK, So this chapter worked up fast. Hmmm...must be writing music. Anyway.**

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 **Chapter Four**

 _His footsteps echoed down the hallway. He was in some strange sort of hallway, old fashioned torches lined the walls…actually he had one in his hand. He stopped in front of a mosaic on the wall. An odd thing, it depicted a mouth of a cave with pale colored people floating from it. Whatever the heck that meant._

 _He did notice however a small fountain coming from a relief, again a mouth, it poured water into a small basin that drained into a hole in the floor. He reached out a hand to touch the flow._

 _"Don't touch it!"_

 _His hand recoiled from the water but not fast enough to keep his hand from actually dipping into the water. Droplets of liquid spilt in every direction. The moment they hit a solid object they turned to a curling white mist. The mist began to form into faces…people…_

Brace felt himself jolt awake. _What had that dream even been about?_ he thought. Suddenly he felt as if something were prodding the back of his head. He slowly rolled over in his bunk.

It was the clone trooper…the kid was staring at him, almost five inches from his face.

"Gahh…!"

Brace scrambled up and away from the trooper. He regained some of his composure when the kid moved off a few inches.

"Were you…watching me?" Brace felt his voice hitch. He didn't like the fact that he had no idea how long the trooper had been staring at him. Odd.

"You were talking in your sleep, it was bothering me," the trooper replied.

Brace scooted off his bunk. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said flatly. "Do you always stare at people when they sleep?"

The trooper had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. "I was only waking you up. You must've been having a nightmare."

"I don't get nightmares. I'm not some little two-bit cadet you know," Brace felt his temper nag at the back of his head. Mostly because the kid had scared the heck out of him "I thought you were…I dunno…nuts or something."

The soldier stood and merely looked at Brace. His demeanor did seem a little off.

"The guys call me Brace. Skip, right?" Brace said, trying the friendly note. _Maybe that'll work._

Skip shrugged. "Yeah. Do you talk a lot in your sleep?"

Brace didn't answer. He began to pull on his armor while Skip shrugged and walked back to his bunk. Brace uncomfortably noticed that the kid was humming quietly to himself.

 _Since when do I have crazy dreams? And talk in my sleep. Jackson never mentioned it…_ Brace fitted his arm guards on and adjusted his holster on his leg. He wondered if he was going crazy. Probably not.

"I'm going to go out, uh…need anything?" Brace watched Skip expectantly. Skip shook his head.

"No. Be careful who you talk to though. They have ways of infiltrating," he said. "If you're not careful."

Brace smoothed back his hair and slid his helmet on.

"Right…"

Brace walked out of the room shaking his head. Maybe the kid was hopeless.

* * *

Jory entered the control room and nodded to Captain Rex's squad members. They were still trying to make outer contact with General Kenobi. Rex saw him and motioned him over.

"Sir?"

The Captain had his helmet removed and he was leaning over what looked to be a hologram of the base.

"How's that trooper we found doing?" Rex asked.

"He's not making much sense, sir," Jory replied. "He keeps saying stuff about people…watching him. Or so my medic says. How long was he down there anyway?"

Rex shrugged. "He said a day, maybe two." He pointed to the hologram, "I ran a few scans and turns out that this base sits on a cave system."

"And you think that that may be how the intruder came in?" Jory finished. Rex nodded.

"Exactly. If we can find the entry point inside and the entry point on the outside, then we can track down the intruder," Rex drummed his fingers on the metal table that the hologram hovered above.

"Still think it was more than one person?" Jory asked. Rex frowned.

"As crazy as it sounds…" Rex looked up as Palla, Anakin and Ahsoka walked in the control room. The woman Jedi looked slightly worse for wear, like she hasn't slept.

"Rex, find anything useful about this hole?" Anakin asked. Rex grinned.

"Funny you should mention holes…"

Palla raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, you found the catacombs?" she stated.

"Looks like someone did their research," Anakin joked. Once again, Ahsoka looked embarrassed. Then Anakin said in a more serious tone, "Okay, what'd you get Rex?"

Rex relayed the information to the three Jedi. Rex watched Palla tap her lip seriously.

"I read something in the Jedi archives that this was originally a mining factory built over a once sacred and highly religious well and spring. The catacombs were used as a mine for a strong and rare metal. The people who once worshiped it are now gone, but some folklore tells about strange occurrences happening when the people who ran the factory tried to dig; workers would disappear down there or disappear in the fog that covered the ground at night. They were usually found dead or…insane," Palla said. She cleared her throat when she caught the others looking at her with amused smiles.

"Master Kenobi told me you were quite the information holder," Anakin said smugly. Palla grudgingly dipped her head.

"Ha, at least _I'm_ somewhat prepared," she grumbled. "Anyway, it's only legend."

"Legend or not, we should try and find the entrances," Jory said. He glanced at Anakin.

Anakin nodded. "I propose we should split up and look for both entrances. Ahsoka and Rex can scout the outside and—"

"My squad and I can look for the catacomb entrance," Palla finished. Anakin looked dismayed.

"What am I going to do?" he asked.

Palla smiled, "You can keep signaling. You'll get your chance of glory to hotshot. Besides, I have numerous old scripts that I memorized. I should be able to find it."

Rex and Jory both suppressed grins while Ahsoka laughed out loud.

"You earned that one, Skyguy!" she chuckled.

Rex snapped back to business. "Right. Jesse, Echo and Fives; you come with us. The rest of you stay with the general."

The three clones stepped forward and saluted. Rex nodded to them and waited for Ahsoka to catch up.

Palla gave a wave to Anakin and walked out the door. Jory followed her out.

* * *

The night had gotten darker and the fog, thicker. Ahsoka breathed in the chill of the air. It stung her nose and exposed areas of skin. So far she and her squad had searched around the base thoroughly and found no entrance. Hardly even a cave.

"Still nothing," she groaned. "I wonder if this…well thing really is a myth."

"Is feeling kinda like a wild womp rat chase," Fives muttered from behind.

"Perhaps we need to check father out. Maybe the entrance was secret?" Jesse offered. He had been one of the only optimistic ones left in the group. Ahsoka almost thought he was enjoying himself.

"Alright, we'll check father out. Let's say another kilometer out. If we don't find anything, we'll come back," Ahsoka shivered. _Anyway, the fog is starting to creep me out. I wonder what that trooper was talking about;_ Ahsoka steeled herself with a breath. _Never mind, Master Palla said that it_ could _be a myth anyway._

"We should be careful, we don't want to step into some hole," Echo muttered. Fives slapped him on the back.

"Relax," he said. "We're not going to fall through any holes."

Rex, who had bounded ahead, called back. There was an excitement to his voice.

"Found something!"

Ahsoka jogged over to where Rex was bent down. The captain was sitting back on his heels; the light from his helmet lit up a small portion in front of him.

"What'd you find, Rex?" Ahsoka asked. Rex pointed down at a round disk the size of a large pipe opening. It was half covered by rocks and debris.

"I only just saw it when I hit my foot on some of this blasted rock," Rex stood and dusted off his hands. The disk was of a heavy metal with a swirling sort of design on it. Ahsoka squinted at it.

"Is that a…"

"Mouth? Yeah," Rex said. Ahsoka curled her mouth.

"Ew…"

Rex tossed a few rocks off the disk. He ran a finger over the rim, and then he removed his helmet and bent close to the edge of the disk. He blew at the crack and a cloud of powdery dust flew up.

Rex coughed a little and settled his helmet back on his head. "Looks like we may be able to move it," he said finally.

Ahsoka bent down and tried to pry her fingers into the crack. "Not budging," she panted.

She stood up and motioned for Rex to move back. "Stand back," she said.

Rex watched as Ahsoka trained her hands on the disk, her features contorted into an expression of strain. Rex new when she was using the kinetic energy called the "Force". It gave him a wash of feeling, like his hair was standing on end. Mysterious stuff.

The disk began to grind and shake, soon it began levitating in the air and Ahsoka was able to move it to the side. Finally the invisible strings of the Force let go of the disk and it thumped to the ground. The two peered at the newly uncovered hole in the ground. The outer entrance.

She gave Rex that toothy grin of hers.

"Well, Ladies first!" With that, she leapt down the hole.

* * *

Jackson was interrupted from his task of repacking his med bag when his helmet decided to hit him in the side of his head.

"Let's go Jacks."

Jackson rubbed his head and picked up his gaudily sarlacc painted helmet from where it had rolled on the floor.

"You're going to give me brain damage," he looked up grudgingly at his brother, Brace. Brace looked oddly in a good mood.

"What is making _you_ so happy?" Jackson asked cautiously. Brace leaned against the wall.

"We're going to look for secret entrances to wonderfully dark cave systems," Brace said. Jackson felt himself drain of color.

"It's going to be dark and cloistered down there," Brace prompted. "I know how you _love_ places like that."

Jackson stood up and swung his pack over his shoulder. "OK, fine. I can handle that."

Brace feigned surprise. "You sure you don't want me to hold your hand? Again?"

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Come on, I was only a cadet then! That was ages ago…besides, that situation was different."

"Like how you managed to shoot me in the foot?"

"It was accidental!"

Brace held up a hand. Argument invalid.

The one thing about having a batch mate was the fact that they knew practically all of your deep dark secrets. Jackson slipped his helmet over his head. Behind the cover of his helmet, he grinned. He loved Brace like a…well…a brother. He was his batch mate after all.

"I know you're smiling," Brace chuckled.

Jackson flung his hands up. "What? That's impossible." After a moment he got curious. "How can you tell?"

"Your fingers twitch."

Jory was just on his way to fetch his two men when they almost ran into each other in the hall. Jory gazed at them disapprovingly.

"What took you to so long? You're not trained to be slow," he growled.

"Sorry Sarge," Brace replied. He swung a blaster over his shoulder. Jory, not finding anything obvious to grill out, remained silent. He still gave each of them a dark "I know what you were up to" look.

"We can't keep the general waiting. I'm sure Brace already briefed you, Jackson?" Jory asked. Jackson nodded.

"Yessir."

The two batch mates shared knowing glances and followed their sergeant. Brace took a dive and walked up next to Jory.

"Jory, what do you think of General Tadé?" he asked. Jory gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Why do you ask that?" he said. Brace shrugged his shoulders.

"Does she seem slightly…I don't know? Inexperienced?"

Jory wheeled to face Brace. Brace stopped in his tracks; he suddenly regretted saying anything at all.

"It's not my place to judge whether or not our general is experienced or not. And I don't think you should either. We were all inexperienced boots at some point, Brace," he said lowly. "Talk like that can get you in a lot of trouble. We're made to think…but not so much that we get broad ideas."

Brace ducked his head. "Sorry sir, I was only wondering if she needed…never mind."

"I'm sure if the General needed help, she would ask. She's not the stuck up type."

Jory dismissed Brace and they continued on their way.

Jackson sidled up next to Brace. He was glad of the sensors in his helmet that allowed him to talk specifically with Brace and not have his sergeant overhear.

"Ouch, what made you say that?" he asked. Brace made a rude gesture with his hand.

"I was only wondering. She seemed a little lost."

Jackson grinned. "You _got_ something for her?"

"Oh shut up. That mouth is going to get you killed," Brace said. Jackson shrugged.

"Ah, Jory, glad you made it," Palla gave them a little wave as she met up with Jory. She matched his pace and pulled out her comlink from her sleeve. She had to look up at Jory as she pointed down at the link.

"I've programmed the maps for the old mines. We should be able to navigate well enough down there. I also have memorized old scripts that should be able to get us to the catacomb entry," she said brightly. She swung a few of her braids over her shoulder. The clasps clinked as they settled inside the hood of her tunic.

"Useful," Jory replied. Palla glanced at him with a concerned look.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Jory nodded. "Yes Ma'am. Just don't much fancy underground things is all."

Palla clapped him on the arm, "I'm sure you'll do fine." She glanced back at the others. "If we stick together, we'll do fine. I promise."

She pointed down a turn in the hallway. "This way to the mine entrance."

* * *

Tuva watched the Jedi and her clones move off down the hall. They were indeed headed in the right direction.

 _Stupid fat Jedi and her lab rats,_ Tuva though. She moved back from ventilation opening. She squatted on her haunches and wracked brain for a moment. If they kept at that way, they would arrive fast. Tuva smiled, a cold thing that bore more resemblance to a sneer.

She had walked the catacombs since she was a child. She could get there faster. Getting in the base had been all too easy. Slaughtering the clones had been more challenging. Despite being rats, they were good fighters. But she had the shadows of her pasts on her side. That had blinded them.

She had to get it before they found it.

Tuva began to move down the ventilation shaft. The catacombs would work for her. They knew a sister when she walked. They would answer her. They were all falling into a trap.

* * *

Skip lay awake on his bunk thinking. He was thinking about the trooper…he obviously did not believe his story.

"Well Skip if they don't believe it, they're going to be surprised," he mumbled. Without any further thought he swung out of his bunk and hunted around for his armor. He wished he had gained the name "Speedy", or at least something _other_ than "Skip". His batch mates had thought it was funny. His voice would sometimes skip when he was nervous or under pressure.

"They're dead now. So what," Skip muttered angrily. He snatched a helmet out from the lockers. He slipped it over his head. Then he hurried, unseen of course, down to the armory.

When he arrived at the door, he had a sudden feeling of that black despair that hit him before. He steeled himself. It wasn't there. They wouldn't get him.

He slid open the door and picked a DC-15A from the rack on the wall. He grabbed enough ammo to last a while and he strapped it across his chest.

He could make it to them in time. He knew where the catacomb entrance was. He and his buddies had discovered it when they searched the place for Seppies. Oddly they never found any Seps down there.

"Cover your back and cover your tracks," he repeated to himself.

* * *

Anakin tapped the dashboard in front of him. The messages he had been trying to send through were just not making it. He tapped his finger; _it must be a blocking signal. But where is it coming from?_ He felt uneasy about the place. Almost as if someone might be watching them.

"Have you gotten anything yet, Null?" he asked the trooper who was running scans through the networking.

"We may have something, sir," he replied. "Not sure yet."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Null nodded and tapped in a few buttons and a screen popped up in front of him. He grunted and punched in a few more keys.

"I managed to track the signals we're sending through, it took me along a different route in the network, the transmissions are being sent down a different line that's connecting it to some other transmitting generator." He punched a few more keys and shook his head. "Unfortunately I can't re-route it because the network line is protected by a password and a few technical locks. I can try to override it but I can't promise anything."

Anakin walked over and glanced at what the trooper was working on. There were lit up blue lines interlocking with each other almost like a maze. A blank space popped up in front of the lines. The passcode entry.

"Keep trying, Null," Anakin patted him on the shoulder. "At least we should still be able to get comlink messages back and forth."

Null nodded and began to hook up an outer scanner to the exposed wires of the computer system.

Anakin looked down when the light on his comlink beeped. He answered it.

"This is Anakin," he said.

"Master? Good, we found the external entrance to the catacombs. Were down here now, should we go where it leads?" Ahsoka's voice cut through the link.

"Go ahead Snips, but be careful. Make sure you're able to stay in contact with me though," Anakin replied.

"Right, Ahsoka out."

 _And may the Force be with you…_ Anakin thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**I decided I need to ask my readers for some help. I'm not quite begging but...**

 **Some helpful criticism on my writing style, plot and characters would be much appreciated. I need to know what areas I need to improve in so I can better my writing. I want to deliver the best of the best to you guys and you can help out! Review if you can and tell me how I'm doing!**

 **To Athio:**

 **My, you indeed love Skip...I shall do my worst! LOL just kidding. Anyway, I caught two references out of the three you hinted: Mellon nín, Elvish for friend and..."Be a man!" MULAN! Love that film...bwahahaha.  
**

 **Can I just say that I love the way you analyze my characters? It makes me feel so...Shpeshul...XD Sorry...Jackson lapse...**

 **To ej and AutumnLeaves03: Thanks for the reviews! I love seeing those in my email!**

 **Chapter Five**

Rex gave an audible sigh as he followed Ahsoka down into the tunnel, bringing up the rear. He sometimes wished the girl would hold up and at least give a bit of reconnaissance before leaping into action.

The lights from the trooper's helmets bounced eerily off the moist walls of the tunnels. Echo trailed a gloved finger on the wall and held it up in front of him.

"Ugh, whatever the stuff is its pretty gross," he said to Fives. He held up his finger tips for Fives to see, the goo (as it should be called) clung to the material in jelly like strings. Fives recoiled.

"Get that away from my face," he said pushing Echo's hand away. "It could be toxic." Echo studied it some more and with a shrug he wiped it on his armor.

Rex watched the two with some amusement. The walls were slick with the stuff. He glanced down. _As is the floor,_ he thought. He noted that his boot bottoms were starting to squelch in it.

"Ew, something's starting to stink!" Ahsoka held her nose with a look of disgust. Rex looked at her curiously. He pulled his helmet off and sniffed the air.

"Smells like a natural fuel," he said. Ahsoka un-plugged her nose.

On a whim, Rex sniffed at the wall. He almost reeled from the heavy scent of fuel omitting from the wall. "I'll wager my rations that this is some sort of compound natural fuel. I bet that's how the natives got the generators running."

"Isn't that an old method of running power?" Ahsoka asked. Echo perked up.

"This place isn't exactly state of the art, Commander."

Ahsoka nodded. Her sharp eyes caught a right hand turn in the otherwise straight tunnel. She bounded ahead and peered around.

"Looks like this leads downhill!" she called back.

"Right men, follow the commander!" Rex ordered. Rex slid his helmet back on his head a little too late to hear that one pair of footsteps had been silenced.

* * *

The entrance to the old mine was right where it was supposed to be. It was two layers beneath the old base. Palla could feel the pressure as they sunk lower and lower beneath the ground. She stopped in front of an old fashioned metal door that had a few boxes and a locker stacked in front of it.

She quickly scrambled on top of the boxes so she could peer at the words written on the door.

"This is it," she said as she slipped back off the boxes and faced her troops. "We only need to clear this out of the way."

Jory nodded. "Right, boys come on and lend some muscle over here." Brace and Jackson set aside they're weapons and began to shove the metal boxes away from the door. Palla watched as the two worked, her eyes fell on the one named Brace. She hadn't spoken with him since she had picked up the squad.

She tentatively reached out with the force and touched his consciousness.

He was very blank; blank in the sense that she could barely sense his mood. She did see however, that he faltered in his work and looked up slightly when she touched his mind.

Hastily she pulled back. She had the feeling that the trooper may have some sort of dislike for her. It bothered her slightly.

"Uh, sergeant, I think you should take a look at this," Brace called. Palla noticed he immediately called for Jory.

 _I must not register as much of a commander…_ Palla thought remorsefully. Jory glanced down at her and motioned for her to go first.

"What have you got, Brace," she asked. Brace looked up surprise and his look blanked out. It did whenever he looked at her.

"Some poor unfortunate employee met his untimely death right here," Jackson filled in. The usually happy medic looked a little more somber. Palla fought back a roll of nausea when she glanced at where the medic's gloved hand was pointing.

Sitting in a pile of half bone half…old flesh was the remains of what looked like a mine worker. He had a leather cap over his head and an apron over his chest cavity. Most of his other garments had turned to a dry dusty mold. His blank eye sockets stared at the ground.

"We were moving boxes and it looks like this guy was left here," Jackson pointed to a hole in the apron. "This guy bought it the hard way,"

"He was…" Palla felt herself go weak kneed.

"Killed," Brace finished. "It happens."

"That's enough, trooper," Jory growled. The warning was clear in his voice.

"No that's alright, Jory," Pala said. She waved a hand at the body, trying not to stare at it. "How old do you think it is?"

Jackson peered at the face and went as far as to poke the skin gently. Palla almost hurled.

"Oh…about a decade or so. This guy's been mummified, probably the air down here," he said. "Takes a while for that to happen."

Jory glanced over at the general. She looked pale and peaked.

"You alright Ma'am?" he asked. Palla cleared her throat and nodded.

Jackson was up on his feet in a second, he was just in time to wrap an arm around the general as her knees gave out.

"Hey, take it easy sir," he said as he steered her away from the grisly remains. He sat her down on a crate and he took off his helmet.

"It's ok, just breath," he said. He reached inside his med bag and pulled out his canteen. He unscrewed the top and handed it to her. "Here, take a few sips. Feeling nauseous huh? Happens to the best of us."

Palla sipped at the water. "I'm sorry…I just…" She couldn't shake the image from her mind. Worst of all she could almost sense the remnants of him…

Jackson smiled at her. "That's fine. Just keep sipping. I know, kinda rotten. You shouldn't have to see that."

Jackson peered over to Jory. "Uh, we can, get rid of…"

Jory nodded and he and Brace began to move the mummified corps out of sight.

"Do you see what I mean?" Brace hissed, once they were out of earshot. "General Naratah would never have acted like that."

Jory glared at Brace through his helmet visors. "Is that was this is about? The general?"

"Who said it was about anything. We're going to be killed under this woman."

"Brace, General Naratah is dead," Jory replied. "This is his Padawan, not him. Now I know she may seem inexperienced…but for Kamino's sake enough with it!"

Brace slammed the corps down. "A general who gets weak kneed over some dead body is not going to lead very well in battle."

Jory shook his head in frustration. "In all my time knowing you, I've never heard you downright slander an officer."

"It's not slander, Jory. It's fact."

Brace lowered his voice. "I'm more concerned for my brothers and I can make up my own mind."

Jory grabbed Brace by the arm. "You know, leading isn't just about who goes first. It's by example and trust that we respect our high-ups. You haven't given much time for General Tadé to gain that trust. She trusts us; I wonder what she would think when she learns that her men don't trust her." He shoved Brace's arm away. "Maybe you could help her earn that trust instead of criticizing her every move."

Brace was silent. Both men simple stood and stared at each other. Both were fuming.

"I don't really care what you or anyone else thinks," Brace said finally. "We're clones, nothing more. I watch out for my brothers because no one else will."

Jory watched the trooper stalk off back to the entrance and begin removing debris again. Jory shook his head; an attitude like that was no good for anyone.

He walked over to Jackson and Palla; the general was sitting with her head pressed in her hands. Jackson had his hand resting on her back, leaning in, as if trying to listen to a whisper.

When Jackson noticed Jory he gave a small shrug as if saying "don't ask."

Palla rubbed her temples; she was unable to get a nagging feeling of…something…out of her mind. She could feel the disturbance in the Force: it made ripples like when a rock is thrown into gentle water. Only this—this felt like a wave. Wave after wave of looming despair.

 _Perhaps the Well is real? Perhaps it is an opening to the dead. Or only a place of souls and suffering,_ she thought.

"General Tadé?"

Palla looked up and had to blink a few times till her vision focused on her sergeant. He was on one knee peering into her face. She noticed he had a hand on her shoulder.

"Jory?" Palla shook her head one last time, "I'm sorry, I—I sensed something…through the Force. I'm sorry I broke down…"

Jory was surprised at how genuinely miserable the Jedi sounded. "That's fine Ma'am, though I don't know anything about this Force stuff."

Palla smiled wryly at him. "I hope you haven't lost any faith I'm me, I'm not always like this…generally."

Jory nodded, he could say for himself that he had faith, but for his men—and Brace? Well, that was a different matter.

"I guess it's a good thing right?" Jackson asked. "I mean, doom and gloom sensing and all that. We won't be caught by surprise right?"

Palla clapped him on the shoulder. "I hope not…I hope not."

* * *

The tunnel did indeed lead downhill. Ahsoka could feel herself having to lean backwards as the decline got steeper. She glanced up ahead. It looked as if the tunnel was going to hit a curve soon. She wondered how long they had been going. The air certainly felt staler and harder to breath down here.

She glanced back at her men and counted out one, two, three…? She stopped. _Only three lights? I had four men down here with me._

"Rex, is Jesse behind you?" she called. Rex stopped and turned around. The light from his helmet bounced off the slick walls, making them shine.

"Alright, where's Jesse?" he called. Echo and Fives both turned around. No Jesse.

"Maybe he fell behind?"

"We should do a double take."

Ahsoka felt her heart sink to her stomach. She had lost one of her men; maybe she had proceeded to fast. Maybe she hadn't been paying attention. Perhaps the trooper had fallen down a hole or something. At any rate, she would be reprimanded…they were her responsibility and she had lost on of her men.

"Alright, spread out, we'll double back and look for him," Ahsoka said. Rex gave a nod.

"If you see anything move, call first. No shooting," he said.

Ahsoka followed Rex down the tunnel. She frowned to herself when she felt a slight ripple in the Force. She almost missed it.

She whirled around, her lightsaber ignited in her hand. Her eyes darted back and forth along the tunnel. _I could have sworn…_

"Did you see something?" Rex asked quietly.

"I thought I did," she replied. Rex turned back to call Echo and Fives back.

His heart did a somersault when the two troopers were not in front of them. "Commander…"

Ahsoka turned around. "I have a very bad feeling about this…"

Then the noise started.

It was a slithering, tapping, scrapping noise. Like bare feet, whispering and echoing off the walls.

Ahsoka and Rex moved together, back to back. Rex's Deecees were in his hand and that was only a small comfort to him.

"I don't like fighting something I can't see," he muttered.

The noise grew louder and Ahsoka caught a reflection from Rex's helmet light. "Ok, now I saw something!" she said.

She jumped when she felt something brush her leg. "What was that?"

"I can't see anything," Rex said. There was a slight edge to his voice. He felt something tug on his _Kama_. He looked down and finally saw a flash from his light reflect off of an eye.

He lowered his blaster and gave off a shot. There was a squeal and the slithering noise stopped.

"Looks like I got something. Not sure what it is," Rex said. Ahsoka didn't reply as she kept squinting into the dark.

"Rex, turn your helmet light off," she whispered. Rex complied and the light went out. Suddenly the tunnel lit up in a blueish hue. The slime from the walls was glowing slightly. Enough for them to see they were surrounded by hundreds of large, pale eyes.

* * *

Null was getting nowhere with the security code. He had been working the past half hour on the thing. He had claimed to Anakin that whoever had reprogrammed it had been a genius.

Anakin watched Null for a while; he was aware of the time and the fact that he needed to check in with Ahsoka on her progress.

He tapped the button to his comlink. "Ahsoka? This is Anakin, how's your progress?"

He waited a minute for Ahsoka to respond. Anakin frowned when he got no reply. "Ahsoka?" he said again. He held the comm to his ear and managed to pick up nothing but static.

 _This is wrong,_ he thought. _She would have checked in by now…Something must have happened down there._

Anakin crunched his fist in frustration. He had no idea where the entrance was to the catacombs so he had no way to follow her. If anything was wrong at all.

It could just be the rocks down there, blocking the signal. Anakin closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. Perhaps he could sense her.

A wave of black and churning force hit him squarely in the chest as soon as he reached into the Force. It was a cold feeling, malicious even but not quite Sith…or even the dark side at all. More like…

 _Death._

Anakin's eyes flung open. He noticed his skin had broken out with a cold sweat. He'd never felt the feeling of death quite like that before. It almost resembled a hunger.

The urge to find Ahsoka was heavier now.

"Null, are you getting anywhere?" Anakin asked.

"Negative sir," Null replied. Anakin growled in frustration.

As if it had any reason to, the power chose that exact moment to die. All the lights in the control room went black and it took a moment or two for the emergency generator to kick in. Red lights lit up the room in a dull glow. Unfortunately none of the computers turned back on.

"Uh, what was that?" Null asked. They heard the control room door slam open and Anakin had his lightsaber in hand in a flash.

"Just me sir." A clone voice.

"Sorry, uh, which one is 'me'," Anakin asked. Null gave a snort.

"Kix, sir," the medic stepped into the dim light. "What happened?"

"We lost power," Anakin replied. Kix walked further into the room and put a desk between him and the door.

"Any contact from the Captain?" Kix asked. Anakin shook his head.

"None," he said.

Kix opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off when a loud bang sounded above them. Kix and Null both snatched up their blasters and held them ready.

"What was that?"

"How do you expect me to know?"

"It was rhetorical!"

Anakin hissed at both of them to shut up. The two men fell quiet. Now they could hear a slight scraping noise. It sounded as if it were coming from above them. Anakin glanced up at the ventilation shaft; he was suddenly quite uneasy.

The noise began to turn into a low hissing, like multiple whispered voices. It rose and fell in a rhythmic sound.

The power from the generator began to skip and falter until it finally went out.

* * *

Skip waited till the Jedi and her troops moved out of sight down the mine shaft. So far they hadn't detected them. That was good.

He pulled off his helmet and listened carefully around him. He reminded himself to listen hard to the ventilation shafts. They had ways of coming out there too. When all was clear he put his helmet back on and switched to infrared.

 _The little buggers usually see us before we see them,_ Skip thought. He could hopefully keep the little Jedi woman's troop from being ambushed. All the better to get out there.

They were attracted to light; they flocked to it like moths. But he knew it blinded them. _All the same_ , _it's better to keep the night vision_ , Skip thought. He grimaced. _Fresh outta Kamino and I land on this dump._

 **All I can think of is the Mines of Moria and Goblin Town from Tolkien. *Goblins***


	6. Chapter 6

**Kriff! Two chapters in one day! I'm on a roll, baby... Anyway...enjoy this one two!**

 **Chapter Six**

Around the mine shaft were littered twists of metal and overturned carts. The once working machinery was now broken and left to corrode in the dark. The rails of the cart lines at least were still intact.

Palla looked around the shaft, she could almost see the prosperity of the once grand mine. She gazed up to look for the ceiling but it was too dark for her to see anything. She noticed, however, there seemed to be a lack of light installments. Odd.

The air soon became more damp and musky as they traveled further into the ground. The clones behind her were silent; Palla wondered what they may be saying behind those helmets of theirs.

Palla racked her brain when they came to a fork in the trail. The tracks ran one way to another tunnel, while another hole, less carved than the others, led to the left.

 _Left or right?_ Palla tapped her lip in concentration. She pulled up her comlink and pulled up her map. It was the left tunnel.

She led the way down the left tunnel, her soft boots making very little sound in the tunnel. She noticed that the clumps of rock began to get larger and more frequent as they traveled further. Her nose was suddenly assaulted by an acrid smell of natural fuel.

"Starting to smell…" she muttered.

"Oh, I thought that was me," Jackson said lightly. Palla chuckled and looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought you had filters in those buckets of yours?" she asked. Jackson shrugged. Palla turned her attention back to the path in front of her. It was beginning to get narrower, she wondered why.

When a draft of air hit her square in the face, she realized why. She held up her hand and signaled the others to stop. She picked up a rock from the ground and tossed it in front of her. She force controlled it so that it would roll down further.

An echoing sound of the rock bouncing against debris confirmed Palla's suspicions. The shaft dropped off directly in front of them.

"Sounds like a big drop, Ma'am," Jory commented as he walked up behind her. Palla dusted her hands off.

"Indeed. We'll have to find a way around," she said.

"I think there's a suspension bridge over the middle," Jory said as he peered into the gloom. His helmet sensors could pick up far more than what Palla could see.

"I think I'm beginning to trust those nifty things of yours," Palla pointed to Jory's helmet.

"Wait till you have to wear them all day, General," Jory's tone was sarcastic as he replied. Palla shrugged meaningfully and turned her attention back to the pit.

She held out her hand and drew up the Force. She began to feel every little thing in front of her. The feeling of dirt clinging to the walls…cloth and even the armor of her clones, she could sense the rocks, how ancient they were, almost whispering for her to delve more into them. All these feelings she felt as she focused her attention on the suspension bridge in front of her. It was narrow; they'd have to go one by one. She drifted to the wires holding the bridge in place; they should be able to hold up. Yes, they should make it.

"We'll have to go one by one," Palla said finally. "And slowly. That bridge should hold up if we're gentle."

Before Jory could set up who went first, Palla was already scampering across the bridge. Jory watched her go with a slight sense of disapproval…which then melted into understanding. Of course the lightest weighing person would go first. Less stress on the lines.

"Alright, Jackson, you move your skinny _shebs_ across that bridge! Double time!" Jory pointed to Jackson, who scrambled past him. Jory could feel the grin on Jackson's face as the Medic pasted him.

"After 'ladies first' is the medic," Jackson cooed. Jory slapped him upside the head.

"Move it, hotshot."

Brace watched Jackson go and met up with the General on the other side. He marched up next to Jory.

"You go next sir, I'm the one with the grenades," he said. Jory nodded.

"Fine, don't take your time with that thing. I don't trust it much," Jory grunted. Jory glanced to make sure that Jackson was across, and then he started out on the bridge.

Brace watched his sergeant go; he adjusted the pack of grenades he was carrying. He warranted he could make it across fine enough.

Jory made it to the other side and signaled for Brace to proceed across the bridge.

Brace walked forward and set his foot on the bridge. He could feel the metal grating bend slightly under his weight. He moved his hands up, as if to grab for a rail. Only his hands hit nothing but air. He realized there was no rail, nothing to hold on too. He steeled himself and began to walk slowly across the bridge. He heard it squeak and shake as he walked slowly, foot over foot.

He tried not to look down, but the narrow foot way demanded he pay attention to where he was setting his feet. He began to get comfortable with himself as he reached the middle of the bridge. _Almost there Brace, keep it up!_ he thought.

From her position at the foot of the bridge, Palla watched the clone trooper make his way slowly across the bridge. He was almost to the middle. Palla could feel the tension on the bridge lines. She used the force to strengthen them so the soldier could make it to the other side.

Before she could grip it, a line on the far side of the bridge snapped. The bridge buckled and the trooper began to stumble. Palla watched, almost in slow motion as the white clad figure stumbled and pitched over the side of the swaying bridge.

"NO!"

Jory had to catch Jackson as the medic tried to rush forward to the bridge.

Palla was still with shock for a second. Then she flung herself into action.

With the bridge steady and held only by adrenaline fed Force, Palla managed to keep the bridge up. She covered ground fast and flung herself onto her stomach at the middle of the bridge.

Desperately she sensed the trooper falling through the air. She reached out and began to pull up. He was heavy and she was already keeping the bridge from following him on the fast and cruel drop to the ground. She began to feel him slow to the point where he was floating gently in the air. She tightened her Force grip on him and the soldier began to rise slowly.

Brace felt the bridge tip and he struggled to catch his balance. Tried as he might, it was no use as he felt himself tumble of the side of the bridge. His only though was why the builders had not put any railings on the damn bridge.

Then…he was tumbling over and over. His vision spun around him and he was strangely calm. _So, I go like this…it's not as fast as I thought,_ he thought with some amusement. _It's not so bad._

To his surprise he began to stop spinning and he noticed his speed was slow until he felt himself simply floating in the air.

 _This is worse than falling_ , he thought. Then he began to travel upwards…back to the bridge.

"Take my hand! Hurry!"

Brace looked above him at the outstretched brown hand of the Jedi general. Her voice sounded tense and strained.

Brace grasped her hand and was surprised by the amount of pull behind the little woman's grasp. He was slammed up on the edge of the bridge and the strange floaty feeling dispersed. He felt the bridge begin to buck and he was sure both of them would be pitched off again—this time to meet a more untimely end.

The bridge was settled again and Brace could feel the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise.

"Hurry…back to the other side," the General gasped behind him. "I can't hold the bridge anymore."

Without thinking Brace grabbed the general by her arm and half lugged half carried her over the buckling bridge and to the safety of the other side.

The two made it to the other side just as Palla's grasp on the bridge collapsed. The bridge creaked and groaned on its way down to the ground below.

Brace and Palla both tumbled to the ground at the feet of Jory and Jackson. Brace felt himself smothered in a hard embrace of armored arms.

" _Kriff!_ Don't you _ever_ do that again!"

Brace felt the hold on him tighten. "Jackson, it's not like I wanted to fall." Despite himself he felt a great deal of comfort from the arms around him.

Brace peeled himself from Jackson's death grip and pulled his helmet off. He sat up and looked over at Palla who was catching her breath on her hands and knees. Jory was gripping her shoulder and bending over her.

"I'm fine, really!" He heard her say.

Suddenly his words from earlier decided to come back and smack him in the face: _"I watch out for my brothers because no one else will"._

The Jedi was on her feet now still being gripped by Jory. _Old mother-Bantha,_ Brace thought. Jackson helped Brace to his feet.

"General Tadè?"

Palla heard her name called. She cringed at the use of "General", but turned none the less. The trooper, she remembered his name clearly, Brace was standing behind her. He was slouching to one side as he rested his weight one foot. His helmet was grasped loosely in one hand, dangling at his side.

"Brace?"

She watched the trooper's dark eyes widen slightly and then move down to the ground. She touched his mind and was surprised by the feeling of guilt emanating from him.

The trooper locked eyes with her and Palla was taken aback by the vigor in those eyes.

"General, I owe you one," he said lowly. To Palla the comment sounded like a promise…no…a pledge.

He gave a dip of his head and slipped his helmet back on. He took a blaster rifle from Jackson and swung it over his shoulder. Palla followed him with her eyes as the trooper moved off alone. She had the feeling he had just overcome something, she could sense it. She wondered what it was.

"Well that set us back a while," she said finally. Palla pulled a braid out of her face and re-tucked it into the leather strap around the rest of her braids at the base of her neck. Jory nodded; his helmet glinted in the gloom.

"I agree, though supposing we were trying to go unnoticed with the amount of noise we just made…I'm afraid surprise is not an option," Jory said flatly.

Palla smiled wryly. "Master Naratah used to tell me when I was little, 'Palla, if you lose your surprise, try for violent entry instead'," she said.

Jory chuckled, "Well, I can do that…"

* * *

" _Amana ech ha'ii._ Great father, worship is shown to thee, show unto me in return ways to please thy might, that thy daughter may show worth, to please your eyes." Tuva bent low, her arms were crossed over her chest. The damp cold clung to her exposed skin, making it erupt in goosebumps. The water of the spring was warm against her bare legs, a comfort at least.

" _Ilimikahn…totturi…ma'ahlr…ma'ahlr-irchna_ ," Tuva chanted over and over as she spooned the spring water over face. Once done, she stepped out of the water, her ritual complete.

Still sparsely clothed, Tuva sat on the floor cross-legged. She closed her eyes and reached out.

A vision bloomed in her eyes.

The Jedi and her troop were still traveling. They were awfully close to the entrance of the Catacombs. Tuva frowned. She had already stopped the two groups. She hadn't killed them yet. She'd have to do that later, as soon as she caught the others. She'd have to act fast. The Well hungered.

Tuva stood and put on her black clothes. She strapped her belt back across her waist and clipped her knives onto it. She slipped her stark white hair back into her hood, lastly putting her knight vision goggles back over her eyes.

She walked into the cavern where the dondwellers were sitting about. They were bunched in the corners or hidden in crevasses in the walls. What little light generated from the walls, reflected in their large pale eyes. The white flesh of their bodies caught the light and Tuva could see their scrawny fingers clawing at meat from bats and bugs that they had caught. Some even were trying to lick the tasteless armor of the intruders.

 _Stupid creatures,_ Tuva thought. They served their purpose, though.

 _"_ Shanki," Tuva called. A creature swung off the wall and landed soundlessly at her feet. The other creatures, sensing the disturbance, began to whisper and hiss in that swelling pattern of speech they had. The sound made Tuva's skin crawl.

"Shanki, take your people. The infidels are coming through the old mine entrance. I want them here alive and quick! The Well hungers…I don't want to keep it waiting."


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok sooo...Did everyone have a good Halloween (if you celebrated)?**

 **I want to say hello to any newcomers to this story especially to BubbleEwa for your reviews! Most appreciated!**

 **As a marker, I want to say that I am a few chapters away from reaching the middle of my story! In under a month too. A milestone for myself. So read on as I pat myself on the back ^^**

 **Chapter Seven**

Skip could hear his breath coming in little gasps inside his helmet. His feet made small noises on the rock pathway. He kept checking all around him for the little cave creatures that had attacked the rest of his platoon. He had bypassed the bridge; they had their eyes on that way. He took the short cut he had discovered a few days ago.

The rock path he took skirted around the pit that the bridge had run across. That way was a few kilometers away. He could go this way and be nearly undetectable. The entrance to the Well was not far.

He shuddered and had to stop for a moment. Memories from the place washed over him. A feeling of ripping detachment…

"Breathe, Skip," he muttered. "You'll be fine. You made it out once, you can do it again."

Skip picked his pace back up and made it across the mine hole. _A little farther now…_

* * *

The entrance to the catacombs was down a passageway in the stone wall. The group had almost missed it if it hadn't been for Palla's constant map checking. The hallway was wide and looked as if it were hewn by hand. It was, interestingly enough, lit by old-fashioned torches coated in a sort of phosphorus that glowed a pale blue hue. It gave an eerie looke against the moist sparkling stone walls.

The moment Brace walked through the hallway, he stopped. It felt as if someone had dumped ice water down his back. He could feel sweat beginning to form on his palms.

 _M-my dream…_ he thought. No, it couldn't be. Brace shook his head. He was overreacting. It only looked like it. Besides…it could have been Deja-vu, he got that sensation a lot.

"Brace, you okay?"

Brace jumped and looked at Jackson who had come up unnoticed next to him.

"Wha—oh, yeah," he muttered. "Just some Deja-vu."

Jackson grunted. "Sixth sense kicking in? Every time you have your Deja-vu something bad always happens."

Brace shrugged and gripped his rifle a little tighter. "Ok, so I happened to have a dream about a hallway that looked like this. I can't say for sure if it's the same thing."

Jackson was silent. He seemed oddly somber. "I just have a bad feeling about this…"

"So do I," Palla said from up front. "It's cold here, I can sense it." Brace watched the general curiously. The blue light reflected softly off her brown skin and made highlights in her brown eyes. Brace looked back down at the ground. The feeling in his stomach he had felt when he had first seen her returned and he felt distinctly uncomfortable.

Palla rubbed the back of her head when she felt the familiar prickle of someone watching her. That, combined with the overwhelming sense of dread, was enough to make her snap. She could hear her footsteps echoing off the walls. Covertly she wiped her hands on her tunic; they were sweaty.

 _Gal, why'd you have to leave me so soon? You would be doing so much better than I am right now. I'm no warrior…I-I'm just a librarian!_ Palla thought frantically. She opened up her mind to the force to sense the other's feelings as if to calm herself.

Jory was…apprehensive yet confident. He was a cautious man she knew. Jackson was serious and slightly frightened. She didn't blame him.

She opened her mind to Brace and reeled back as if she were shocked. His mind was a turmoil of different feelings so clear she could almost taste them; fear, determination…worry…and so many others. Palla hadn't felt a mind so strong in years. It was different. But a strong mind was a good one. Not many people took much care in strengthening themselves mentally.

Palla wondered what she felt like. The Jedi rubbed her temple and closed off her connections.

They had reached the entrance.

Brace was almost scared to look at what was ahead. The vision of his dream was fresh in his mind still. Summoning up his courage, Brace looked ahead.

The entrance matched his dream exactly. The mosaic on the wall, only now that he could see fully, the mosaic extended all the way to the ceiling. It was made in pale and dark stones that surrounded a lavish door in the wall: the entrance.

To the side was a hole in the wall that a stream of water trickled from. The hole was in the shape of an opened mouth. The water was clear as crystals and it made little gurgling noises as it flowed into a hole beneath it.

"I feel slightly defiled," Jackson joked. "Lots of mouths."

Palla ran a hand over the mosaic tiles. They were cool and smooth under her hand. The feeling in the back of her mind tightened and she felt washed over with cold water. She could feel the hair on her arms begin to stand up on end.

"What was that?" Jory cocked his head to the side. Palla concentrated for a moment and was able to pick up a slight shuffling noise bouncing back and forth against the walls.

"I can hear it," Jackson said.

Palla pushed past the two. "Defensive positions, now." She was surprised by the hardness in her voice.

The clones lined up against the wall in a slight V shape. They trained their weapons on the outer entryway. Palla stood in the middle, her lightsaber in her hand. She sensed the same feeling she had felt when the phantom ship attacked them. She wouldn't be caught by surprise again.

"Ma'am we're cornered. If we stay here we'll be bottled up," Jory stated. Palla shook her head.

"Look behind you sergeant," Palla pointed to the catacomb entrance. "That's our exit. We have a better chance here than out there in the dark. We can keep whatever's out there to come in one by one. The entrance isn't wide enough for a full bunch."

Jory was silent. It did make sense.

"You're right," Brace exclaimed. He was astonished at how fast the general was able to come up with the plan. He was mentally whacking himself over the head for not seeing that immediately.

Palla smiled wryly. "Of course I am."

The noise grew louder and Palla could see slight bits of flashing something. She could feel the fear pooling in her gut like syrup. Soon the noise grew louder and louder until it stopped suddenly.

"What the Kriff is that?" Jackson exclaimed. Palla could now see, crawling through the entrance in front of them, small creatures with large eyes and pale skin. One of the things stopped when it saw Palla's lightsaber. It hissed, showing off rows of sharp teeth. Its large eyes squinted and it backed off.

Palla was about to call for open fire when she stopped. All of the sudden she couldn't remember what she was going to say. She felt her arm go slack and distantly heard her lightsaber fall and roll on the ground.

There was a low lulling sort of noise in the background. Palla tried to pull herself out of the mesmerizing sound. She felt slow and sluggish. She was aware that she was looking at the hall from a sideways view. She wondered bemusedly if she were lying down.

 _It doesn't matter…so peaceful…_ she thought slowly. She didn't even fight when she felt little clawing hands at her sleeves and hair.

She was just beginning to drift off when she was interrupted by the sound of blaster fire. She frowned. She hadn't given any order to fire. They were disrupting the song.

She felt herself jostled and she was dimly aware of being in someone's arms. Her head rested against someone's chest…it was cold…everything was cold…

 _So cold._

* * *

Brace remembered the creatures just standing there…staring at them with those disgustingly huge eyes. He was wondering why the general hadn't given them the order to fire. He was about to say something when he watched the general go slack and drop her lightsaber.

Then he heard the noise. It came through his helmet sensors and reverberated around his head. His vision began to grow cloudy. Stubbornly he tried to clear his head. He watched helplessly when the creatures began to swarm in and pluck at them. He could feel their little hands pulling at him.

Then as if by magic, blaster fire rang through the chamber. Rapid shots took down the little creatures. Each of them fell with burning holes in their heads. A white clad trooper was blasting his way through the little things. He was shouting something that Brace couldn't hear.

Brace sluggishly made a signal. "I can't hear…" he croaked. The trooper ran over and grabbed him by the arm, hauling him to his feet. _When did I sit down?_ Brace wondered.

"YOUR FILTERS! TURN THEM OFF!"

Brace recoiled but complied anyway. The sound around him shut off so suddenly he almost fell over. His head began to clear enough that he could hear the voice coming through his comm.

"They took the others! Help me get the Jedi out of here!"

Brace nodded to the trooper. _Whatever you say,_ he thought.

With some amount of satisfaction Brace began to shoot the little buggers. They dropped like flies as the two troopers shot their way to where the general was crumpled in a ball. Brace reached her first and slung his weapon over his shoulder; he scooped her up and was surprised at how light she was. The other trooper snatched her lightsaber, which had rolled away when she dropped it.

"Let's go!" the trooper shouted. Brace almost told him he needn't shout. The two cleared out of the chamber and the trooper pulled a grenade from his belt pouch. He activated it and swung it in the chamber.

The thing exploded soundlessly. When the explosion cleared Brace tentatively opened his filters to sound. It was silent.

Then over his comm, "We have to make it back to the up to the surface."

Brace scrunched his eyes at the trooper. "Who're you?" he asked stupidly.

"I'm the nutcase, remember?" The trooper replied sarcastically. He turned and waved his hand. "Let's go."

Skip kept checking back at the Jedi and the trooper behind him. He chewed his lip nervously. He hoped he had gotten to them in time. The Jedi was limp in the trooper's arms; she looked almost like a child really.

The trooper said nothing to him and he said nothing either. They made their way past the wreckage of the bridge and past the path around that Skip had found. His shortcut had taken them a short time to return to the mine entrance.

Skip worked his jaw so that his ears popped from the pressure change. He slid a few boxes back in front of the door way. He motioned for the trooper to set the Jedi down.

The trooper did so quite gently.

The two both removed their helmets. Skip wiped his sweaty light colored hair out of his eyes.

"What's wrong with her?" the other one asked. _Brace I think,_ Skip thought.

"I'm not sure really; those things open their mouths and you go all blank," Skip replied and he bent down next to the Jedi. Her eyes were slightly open but only the whites showed. Her complexion was ashy grey.

Skip placed his hand under her chin and put his cheek next to her nose. He could just feel the warmth of her tiny breaths.

He scratched his head for a moment. He was no medic, surely.

"Any idea what you're doing?" Brace asked.

Skip gave him a look and moved his attention back to the Jedi. "Any help would be appreciated."

Skip lightly smacked the Jedi's cheek.

"That's very against regulations," Brace said dryly. Skip flung his hands in the air.

"You got a better idea wise _sheb_?"

Brace was silent and he looked down at Palla. She was very pale under her dark complexion. He racked his brain for any information Jackson had tossed to him. The man was a nut, but he was a damn good medic. Brace wished he were here.

Brace put his hand to her forehead. _Come on, just wake up. I'm sorry about what I said…come on, just come back!_ He prayed silently to nothing in particular.

Palla swam through her foggy consciousness, the damn song had ceased and she could finally think again. She felt so heavy though. She barely remembered what had happened. A slight pang made her jump. It was a nagging in her mind to come back and open her eyes.

Slowly she opened her eyes. They felt so heavy and it took most of her might to lift them. She found herself staring into two identical faces. The clones. One she didn't recognize.

"How'd you do that?" the one asked.

"Do what?" Brace replied.

Palla felt herself propped up. She was still a little woozy.

"Are you alright general?"

Palla shook her head. "What happened?" she asked thickly. Her head felt like it was stuffed full of feathers.

"I'm not sure really, Ma'am," Brace replied. He looked genuinely concerned.

"Where are the others?" Palla asked after a minute. The two troopers looked at each other. The light haired one answered her.

"They were taken to the Well. There isn't much we can do at the moment," he said. Palla put her head in her hand. She had failed. She lost her troops and it was her fault. She should have said no to the mission before-hand. What was she trying to prove?

"I'll go to the control room," said Skip. He secured his helmet back on his head and left the room.

Palla didn't look up when the trooper left.

"Ma'am?"

Palla looked up at Brace who was crouched by her side. His gloved hand was resting on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Brace. I lost them," Palla said. Brace looked oddly at her.

"It wasn't your fault Ma'am," Brace said quietly. "We didn't have much of a chance."

"No loss is acceptable Brace," Palla said bitterly. Brace was silent.

Palla stood slowly. She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. She should have listened to Jory; he was much more experienced than she. She couldn't look at Brace.

"General Tadè, they're not dead, I don't think. They were taken, I think for something big."

Palla turned around and looked up at Brace. "What makes you say that?"

Brace looked embarrassed. "They weren't killed outright. Besides…I think I'd know. They're my brothers, Ma'am."

Palla looked at him for a moment. Perhaps he was right. She opened her mind and touched the Force. Still dark with that foul sense of death, but she could feel them none the less. She also sensed many more.

Palla drew her brows together. She pulled her comlink up, "Anakin, this is Palla. Do you copy?"

Nothing but static. Palla tuned in again this time she called up Ahsoka. No communication.

"Those things must have gotten them too," Palla mused. "But what do they want with them? Why not just kill them like the others?"

"You said there used to be a cult religion here, right?" Brace said. "Well, what if they never really left? What if they're still down there and they need the others for something?"

Palla tapped her lip. "Indeed, but what, I wonder?"

* * *

Skip looked up as the Jedi and Brace walked into the control room. He watched their reactions to the room. It was a mess, scattered things here and there, computers knocked to the floor and glass strewn about.

"Skip, how did you know how to find us?" the Jedi demanded. Skip was silent for a moment.

"The dondwellers took us by surprise. My scout and I were ambushed. I vaguely remember the chanting…we were taken underground. I remember a little. I couldn't move." Skip took a breath. "I managed to break free, no one noticed me. I left my brothers though…"

Palla looked sympathetic. "Do you know how we can get to this Well?"

Skip shrugged. "Yes."

Palla sat at one of the stools by the computer. "We could get them back and find out who's behind the disappearances."

"We should send a message to general Kenobi," Brace said. Skip turned to the computer and glanced at the work that Null had been doing.

"We can't get through. A signal's blocking it," he said. Palla stood up and walked behind Skip. She leaned over and looked at the screen.

She focused on the lines in the networking and followed them along with the Force. She felt like she was tumbling through a jungle of vines and wires. Suddenly she sensed the block in the wires. With a wave of her hand she snapped the blocking wire and the screen lit up with full access to the communication system.

"Try and get a message through now," she said.

Skip typed in the code and a blue hologram popped up. It was General Kenobi.

"Palla!" he exclaimed. "We've been waiting for word from you for almost a full day, what's going on?"

"I'm not quite sure Obi-Wan," Palla replied. She gave him a rundown of the situation.

"That is most unfortunate," Obi –wan said as he stroked his beard.

"I'm going to go down there again and find them. We have the upper hand at least," Palla said.

"Is that a wise idea?" Kenobi asked.

Palla snorted, "No, but it's the only choice I have at the moment. In the meantime, some reinforcements would be appreciated."

"Alright, I'll send some men as soon as I reach Sonyun," Obi-Wan said.

Palla nodded. "Good. I'll be careful. Out."


	8. Chapter 8

**Again I want to thank all who have been following this so far. thanks guys! you rock!**

 **I'm going to keep this short because I'm quite pooped. Life hit hard this week. Bleagh.**

 **Chapter Eight**

"You want to go back down there?"

Palla nodded in response to Skip's incredulous question. The young trooper looked positively frazzled.

"We just came back up and you—you almost died!"

Palla clipped her lightsaber back onto her belt; Skip had left it on the table by the computer after he rescued it from the catacomb entrance chamber.

Brace, who was silent up until then, spoke up. "We can't just leave them, Skip. The general's right. We have a mission. We had to find out…"—here he paused—" _have_ to find out what is causing this."

"I'm glad someone agrees with me," Palla said tiredly. "We're the only ones left. We are the only hope to Anakin and the others. I wouldn't turn my back on them."

Skip still looked as if he thought the whole thing was a bad idea. _Of all the lunatic ideas…we have to go back to where I just rescued their sorry shebs from,_ he thought.

Palla drummed her fingers against her leg as she began to pace back and forth. The main mine entrance was a definite no; the bridge was out anyway. They could try the outer entrance, but then again…Palla shook her head. She had no idea where that was. Their only option was to try at the catacomb entrance again.

"We have to go back the way we came," Palla said finally. The two clones looked slightly deflated.

"With respect Ma'am," Skip said, though no respect was hinted in his tone. "That's suicide."

Palla raised an eyebrow at him "Any better ideas?" she asked. Her tone invited no snippy remarks.

Skip went tight lipped. "Uh…no not really."

"Alright then. We go back the way we came. This time, at least, we're prepared." Palla crossed her arms over her chest. "Brace, do you still have those grenades?"

"Aye, Ma'am."

"Good."

* * *

When Shanki came back carrying the new prisoners Tuva was pleased. Until he told her that the Jedi and two others had unexpectedly gotten away.

Tuva hissed through her teeth.

"That is unacceptable," she said. She turned to the two lab rat prisoners. They still seemed woozy from the dondweller's chant.

She directed the dondwellers to bind them with the others. They would put up little resistance. Just as the others had.

She turned and faced the Well behind her. The Well was situated in a large underground cavern covered in crystal-like rocks that cast a blue hue. The large mosaic of the Well of Souls sat directly above the sacred spring; an altogether holy place.

The Clones were grouped on one wall of the cavern. They were almost asleep. Tuva knew better. Their minds were already trapped in the grasp of the Well. As soon as the sacrifice began, they'd be no more.

The Jedi had been a fortunate find though. They would be able to complete the task. A right tribute and the heirloom of her people would be hers. _But only for so long. That is payment enough. My religion shall be spread as promised. All I have to do is give him the Amulet and it's over._

"Soon Father, you shall receive your payment," she muttered. Tuva glanced over at the two Jedi she had already captured. They leaned against the cavern's wall. The Togruta and her rat had put up a fight, although once exposed to the chant they dropped like flies. The other Jedi had put up a fight too. Although once he was blinded in darkness…Tuva smiled and checked their bonds also.

The Togruta girl had her head resting on the older Jedi's shoulder; both of them unconscious to the happenings around them. Their minds, though strong, were also tied in the Well. Once in, there was no way out.

* * *

The helmet was entirely more uncomfortable than Palla could have ever imagined. It was slightly loose on her yet close enough that she was able to fit it on. It was hot and her braids stuck to her head with sweat. Each one itched like a million pests crawling over her scalp. _Apparently not designed for women with lots of hair,_ she thought.

She was distracted by what the others had called the Heads Up Display or simply "HUD". The infrared vision though allowed her to see in the dark much better than before. She let out a breath and heard it give a rattily noise through the filters in the helmet's mouthpiece.

"You okay in there, Ma'am?" Palla jumped when she heard one of the trooper's voices over the comm. They had agreed to keep the filters muted to any outside noises. That was the reason for Palla wearing the Clone trooper helmet in the first place.

"Yes…although it's slightly difficult to breath in this thing," she replied. A chuckle came over the comm.

"You'll get used to it, Ma'am."

Palla hoped not.

They walked carefully around the edge of the pit where Skip had taken them earlier. Palla glanced down into the pit. Her night vision didn't extend far enough for her to see the bottom. She shuddered when thinking about how close Brace had almost met his end down there.

She looked back at the clone trooper. He seemed to be minding his own business. Palla wondered idly what it was like to be a clone. _No different than being a human, you dummy,_ Palla thought. She refocused on the task ahead of her.

"We've got company," Palla heard Skip say over the comm. Palla looked up and around for the source of the company, as Skip had put it.

The trio made it to the other side of the chasm; Palla had her lightsaber in her hand, pointed outward. The others were pointing their weapons in the general direction of the creatures.

"Nasty little buggers," Brace said disgustedly as the creatures began to flood towards them. The gnashed their teeth and Palla could almost hear their hissing and spitting.

"Brace, grenade?" Palla asked. Brace fumbled for the sphere-like grenade and handed her one. Palla felt the cold metal slide into her hand. She moved her thumb to the detonator and clicked it.

"Going hot!" she yelled as she hurtled the grenade in the midst of the little beasts. The grenade exploded in a brilliant light without sound, due to Palla's muted helmet. The little things were blown to smithereens and a great hole was made in their number.

"Good shot, Ma'am," Brace said. Palla couldn't hold back a smile.

"We have to go, now before those things come back," Palla said.

They cautiously made their way to the old entrance. Palla gave a shudder when she remembered the little grabbing hands all over her. The entrance was just as they had left it.

Brace's foot hit something on the ground and he looked down to see what it was. He gave a start.

It was Jackson's helmet, gaudily painted with Sarlacc tentacles in green and red. Brace bent down and picked it up. He would return it— _when,_ not _if—_ he found him.

"They disappeared this way," Brace said. He watched Palla pull her helmet off. Her tiny braids stuck to her face and he watched as she brushed them away, irritated.

"Yes, and how do we get in?" she mused. She ran a hand over the bumpy mosaic on the wall. Her attention turned to the small fountain.

The water was coming in a little stream from the mouth in the wall. The water had to lead somewhere…

She reached out a hand and was about to pass it under the crystal stream.

"Don't touch it!"

Palla jumped and whirled around. Brace had his hand extended towards her; his helmet was off so she could see his otherwise alarmed expression. Skip was looking at him suspiciously.

"What's the matter?" Palla asked. Brace cleared his throat.

"I-I uh…had this feeling that it wasn't a good idea," Brace said. Brace tried to wipe his face clean of expression.

Palla watched him for a few more moments, then she slowly put her hand back to her side. She watched the water for a few more moments. It flowed down a little drain into the ground.

"How else do we get in?" Skip asked.

Palla bent down to watch the water. "This is spring water. It leads somewhere," she said. She turned and looked about the chamber. No doorway in sight.

Palla hung her head in frustration. _Why do things have to be so hard all the time?_

 _"_ _Because if life where easy…what would be the point living it? Observe what others do not…attention to detail…that is the Jedi way, Palla."_

Palla heard the saying bounce off the inside of her head. The words that Gal Naratah had drilled into her head when she was just a Padawan.

 _Attention to detail?_ Palla tapped her lip. _I've looked everywhere…_ She gazed at the tiles on the floor. Her eyes widened. "The floor!" She slapped her hand to her forehead.

She sprang to her feet and backed up. The floor was covered in miniscule tiles that moved in a swirling pattern that grew smaller towards the middle. Once in the middle was a spot of metal. A disk with another mouth on it, it was about the size of a large pipe opening.

Palla felt a smile tug at her lips. Even in death, Palla could always turn to her master.

"This is it," Palla said pointing at the disk. The two clone troopers looked at her.

"Can we move it?" Brace asked. Palla motioned for them to move back.

She extended her hand to the disk; it began to move slowly off the floor to reveal a dark hole in the center of the room. Palla let the disk drop with a clank to the side.

She peered inside the hole. "Looks like we found the way inside."

Palla dropped through the hole and landed softly on the ground below. Her lightsaber was ignited in her hand; it cast a yellow glow on the inside of the tunnel. Behind her the two troopers dropped down beside her. She wrinkled her nose at the putrid smell of natural fuel.

The group moved cautiously down the tunnel until Palla spotted a bit of light ahead.

"Do you see that?" she whispered.

Brace moved beside her. "Yeah, do you think…?"

Palla nodded. "Yes, I believe we've found the Well."

* * *

Tuva heard them before she saw them.

 _Intruders!_ She whirled around to the entrance of the Well chamber; her knives were instantly in her hands. She scowled when a Jedi and two lab rats entered the room. The Jedi woman had her lightsaber in her hand. It barely intimidated Tuva; the woman had no idea how to use it.

Tuva's train of thought was violently ended when the knives flew out of her hand and into the outstretched hand of the Jedi woman. Tuva felt herself drain. All of the sudden her fight seemed quite one sided.

Tuva licked her lips and called out to the dondwellers.

"Shanki! Get them!"

The creatures flooded over to the intruders but were stopped by a flurry of laser bolts and the dangerous, fast moving blade of the Jedi's lightsaber. The creatures were cut down in seconds. Tuva felt fear instead of remorse.

"The fight is quite over now, young one," the Jedi said as she stowed her lightsaber to her belt.

Tuva scowled harder. How dare the Jedi treat her as an inferior; she was a priestess of the Well.

Tuva reached to her side and whipped up her blaster and just managed a shot off before she felt a searing pain as the blaster was shot out of her hand. The fight was indeed over now.

Skip felt a smile curl over his lips as the girl dropped her blaster and clutched at her wrist. It looked as if someone had told her that recess was over at school. He holstered his Deecee and glanced over at the general.

Palla on the other hand was astonished to find that the phantom pilot was so young. The pale girl that was slinking in front of them could have been not even nineteen. She was dressed in all black that clung to her scrawny frame and stark white hair was pulled tightly away from her face. The girl's pale eyes flicked to one side and back.

"How dare you," the girl hissed. Her voice was soft and husky with a lilt of an accent.

Palla crossed over and reached out to her. The girl shrank back and bared her teeth at Palla. Palla noticed her teeth were pointed.

"Are you alone here?" Palla asked, unfazed. "What's your name?"

Palla motioned for Skip to hold the girl. Skip twisted the girl's arms behind her so that she could hardly squirm.

"What's your name?" Palla demanded. The girl writhed for a moment longer. Palla sighed tiredly and extended her hand to touch the girl's forehead.

"You _will_ tell me your name." Palla wrestled with the girl's conscious, fighting with her too give up that information.

She felt a thought emerge and grasped it.

 _Tuva Libath._

Palla put her hand down. "Tuva, what did you do to the others?"

Tuva smiled in malice. "Wouldn't you love to know, Jedi?"

Skip twisted the girl's arms harder. "Answer her," he growled.

"General! I found them!" Brace called from a back chamber. Palla nodded to Skip, who dragged Tuva with him as he followed Palla to the chamber.

Palla gasped audibly at the sight of the Well chamber. The Well was indeed a sight.

It stretched out in the middle of the floor and all around it flowed the crystal like spring water held in by a stone wall. The chamber had a blue glow to it and the light reflected off the water, casting reflections on the walls.

To the side of the chamber seemingly unconscious were the missing clones, including Jory and Jackson. They were leaning against the wall half slumped over. Palla spotted Anakin and Ahsoka in no better condition.

Brace was crouched beside Jackson, his face was worried.

"Ma'am, they're not breathing," he said quietly. Palla crouched beside him. She touched the medic's cheek and found it still warm. She extended the Force and was met by a little pulsing of life.

"He's still alive, Brace," she said. Palla whirled on Tuva.

"What is wrong with them?" she growled lowly. Brace was surprise by the amount of anger showing through on the general's face. It was frightening.

Tuva must have felt the same way because she recoiled onto Skip and stuttered out an answer.

"Their minds are tied to the Well. They can't get out now, it's been too long. The Well will feed off them until they die," she said in a hushed voice. "You can't get them out."

Palla watched the girl's face for any lies. She found none.

"I'll be the judge of that," Palla said. Palla Turned to Brace.

"If anything walks through that doorway, shoot it." Her voice was hard when she said that. Brace nodded.

"What are you going to do, Ma'am?" he asked. Palla laid a hand on his arm.

"Trust me, Brace," she said. She laid her hand on Jackson's forehead.

Brace watched in fascination as Jackson's eyes began to move beneath his eyelids. He gave a groan and slumped forward. Brace caught him before he fell over.

"How did you do that?" Brace asked in astonishment. He looked up at Palla, her face was slightly haggard. She didn't answer him as she moved to the other clones and did the same thing to them.

"Wh-what…the… _bloody Kriff_ is going on?"

Brace glanced down at Jackson who was partially in his lap.

"It's complicated."

Jackson rubbed his head and struggled to sit up. "No, I mean…why am I _sitting_ in your _lap_?"

Brace snorted, moved Jackson up, and left him to help Palla. The clones were rousing slowly, as if from a sort of coma. She had reached the last clones and was making her way to Anakin and Ahsoka.

Brace watched her lay her hands on both of their foreheads. She shook her head and began to lay them gently on the floor. Brace moved over to her just as the woman slumped to the floor. Her shoulders were sagging and she laboriously crossed her legs.

Brace watched her in concern. She looked about ready to keel over from exhaustion.

"How did you do that, Ma'am?" Brace asked. Palla looked up at him. She ran a hand over her face.

"I was trained extensively in Force healing, Brace. I had to sever the ties of their minds with that…spell," she sighed and looked at the two Jedi in front of her. "I think the Well has more of a tie on them because of their Force sensitivity."

Brace could honestly say he had no idea what she was talking about. "What are you going to do then?" he asked quietly.

Palla looked at the Well. "I'm going to fetch them out. I should have enough strength to do that."

Brace pursed his lips. "And if you don't, Ma'am?"

Palla smiled tiredly at him. "Count that I do, Brace."

Palla moved into the meditative position and began to slowly relax herself. She noted with comfort that the trooper had decided to stay by her side. The last thing she saw before she shut her eyes was him laying one of his blasters across his lap.

She breathed in slowly, tasting the coolness from the air. It was almost sweet. Palla let go of it and it passed like a sigh; her taste disappeared. She heard the trickling of the water as it lapped against the wall, she heard the breathing coming from the clones behind her; she let go of it and her hearing disappeared. She felt the roughness of the stones beneath her, she let that go too. Finally she closed her eyes and closed off any images from thought, she let go and she saw nothing…heard nothing…felt nothing…tasted nothing…

She focused her mind on the Well. She felt it draw her in till she was one with it.


	9. Chapter 9

**JUMPING FREAKING _JEHOSHAPHAT!_ I thought this _KRIFFING_** **chapter would never get done. Wow. Anyhoo...I'm taking a turn with this. read the end notes and You'll see why.**

 **I want to thank my beta Solstixs for helping me out with this. And all you guys who reviewed so long ago...thank you. I love you guys so much. Come read. Be satisfied.**

 **Chapter Nine**

Brace watched the General from underneath his eyelashes. He tried not to seem too concerned as he laid his blaster on his lap. _She knows what she's doing,_ he thought. He watched as she shut her eyes and he could see, like a wave running through her, as she began to relax slowly bit by bit. Her head slumped slightly forward and her breathing began to grow very shallow.

Brace assumed that might be normal. He had seen Gal Naratah meditate once; it almost looked the same.

The whole situation was surreal, Brace thought to himself. What disturbed him the most was that the entire place resembled his dream. Brace glanced over his shoulder; he could hear the murmuring of the other men as they came to.

Brace glanced down at the two Jedi; they were laying on their backs as if they were sleeping. He cast a glance at the general. She too looked to be asleep, though to him she bore a slight look about her.

 _Strain?_ He thought. He wondered if it was that taxing at all.

Brace turned his head when he heard footsteps enter the chamber.

"What's she doing?"

Brace watched as an anxious and sort of sickly pale Jory crouched beside him.

"She's meditating I guess," Brace replied curtly. He glanced at Jory. "You alright?"

Jory sat down and ran a hand over his head. "M'fine. Jackson and Kix are getting the others up. They're alright."

Jory watched Palla for a moment and looked down at Anakin and Ahsoka. He reached out and brushed Anakin's neck to find a pulse. He did the same with Ahsoka. "They're still alive," he said. Brace could see the worry reflecting in Jory's dark eyes. He realized that it was directed towards Palla.

Brace cleared his throat. "Jory—" He paused. "Jory, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It was unfair."

Jory rubbed his chin and was silent.

"I realize now that the general does care a great deal for us." Brace bit his lip. He fell silent again and watched the general. She hadn't moved for a few minutes, save for her slight breathing.

A slight rustle to his left made him turn his head. The Jedi, Anakin, was beginning to stir, as was his Padawan. Jory practically leapt to help Anakin up. He called out for Kix, Torrent Company's medic.

Jory helped Anakin into a sitting position as Kix hurried into the chamber. Jory directed him over to Ahsoka, who was beginning to stir as well. Kix helped Ahsoka up and was mumbling something to the disoriented Padawan.

"You alright sir?" Jory asked. Anakin laid a hand against his forehead and shook his head as if to shake off any problems.

"What—what happened? The last thing I remembered was…" he trailed off and sat up straighter.

"I'm not sure, sir. General Tadè got you out."

Anakin looked at him. "Out of what?"

Jory had no answer for him.

To the side, Ahsoka was becoming more aware of her surroundings. The Padawan was attempting to stand on her own even as Kix helped her up. "Is Rex okay?" she immediately asked.

"He's fine Ma'am, take it easy there," Kix replied.

"The last I remembered was this sound…" she trailed off and wrinkled her nose. She turned her bright blue eyes to Kix. "You sure Rex is okay?"

Kix refrained from rolling his eyes. "I'll let him know you're up."

Brace watched the others with interest. They didn't seem to have suffered much beyond a slight memory lapse. With them waking, that would mean that the General would be waking out of her meditation also. Brace looked eagerly back at Palla, thinking she too may be stirring. The Jedi was still unmoving. _Something's not right,_ he thought.

Brace tentatively laid a hand on her arm; the skin beneath the fabric of her shirt was cold.

"General?" he called softly. He watched as her eyes beneath her closed eyelids began to flicker back and forth. She gave a shuddering breath and slumped to the side. Brace caught her before she hit the floor. Gently, he laid her down; her breath was coming in little gasps and her eyes hadn't opened yet.

"General Skywalker!"

Brace thought wildly that she had overdone herself, or worse…

"General? General, it's alright," he said. The general groaned and rolled onto her side into a tight ball.

Anakin appeared next to him. "What happened? Did she say anything?" he asked. Jory was next to him; the sergeant's face was pale.

Brace shook his head. "No sir, she just slumped over."

Anakin pressed his hand against Palla's forehead. The older woman wrinkled her brows, but didn't open her eyes.

Without thinking Brace laid a hand on her shoulder. He watched Anakin as the Jedi frowned in concern.

"What is it sir?" Brace asked. Anakin shook his head.

"I'm not sure, she should be coming out of it now, it's like something's holding her mind in place," he said. Brace had no idea what the Jedi meant. He looked down at the general. _If I could only do something,_ he thought.

Anakin took a deep breath and laid his hand over Palla's forehead. Brace felt compelled to shut his eyes as wel;, he prayed to any of the gods he knew of to let her be alright.

 _That's why Naratah wanted me out, so I could help his Padawan. I'm not going to let her go,_ Brace thought. He thought the old general and guiltily he his thoughts strayed to the lightsaber that was now stowed inside a pack in the barracks at Coruscant.

 _Just wake up, General!_ Brace squeezed the general's should gently. _General Naratah. If you can hear me where you are_ , _just help Palla,_ he thought.

Brace felt a hand close over the hand he had clasped on the general's shoulder.

"Brace?"

Brace cracked his eyes open. He had forgotten that he had shut them and now they hurt from him squeezing them shut. He looked down at the General. She had her eyes open now and they were turned on his face. He was surprised by the amusement twinkling in them.

"General?" he muttered. "General are you alright?"

Palla nodded and struggled into a sitting position with the help of Anakin. The Jedi looked relieved.

"I'm fine," Palla said. She ran a hand over her arm.

Brace watched her curiously. She extended a hand in front of her and rubbed it with her other hand.

"This is real," she whispered. She ran her hands excitedly over the front of her; Brace watched on with some concern.

Palla broke out in a smile and then she began to laugh almost hysterically. It was slow at first then deepening into a rolling almost sobbing laugh.

"Palla?" Anakin clasped the Jedi. She waved him off and calmed herself somewhat.

"I'm alright, I—I thought I was alone in there…" she said. She shuddered and took a deep breath. "I'm alright…"

"Let's get out of here," Anakin said. Jory and Brace cast each other glances.

"Can't help but agree, sir," Jory said.

As Brace helped Palla to her feet, he noticed she was trying to keep her weight off of him. Brace wrapped an arm around her middle and hiked her up. She weighed very little to him.

"I'll try and walk, Brace," Palla said. Brace set his mouth in a firm line.

"You're not heavy, Ma'am," he said. "I'll help you."

Palla said nothing in reply but Brace could feel the relief spread through her as she relaxed slightly.

Together they exited the chamber and came out once again. They were greeted by Captain Rex, who, despite looking slightly peaked, was no worse for wear. The other Clone troopers were up and about; they had set up a perimeter around the entire room.

"General, are we ready to move out?" Rex asked Anakin. Anakin nodded.

"We're ready. I think first we should destroy the place," he said. "We wouldn't want anybody else stumbling in here."

Rex looked around and gave the chamber a squinted look, as if he was trying to see what wasn't there. He nodded. "With pleasure."

Tuva, who was still restrained by Skip, growled in protest. Skip wheeled the girl around.

"Too bad kid," he muttered. Tuva glared up at him.

"You'll pay for this…"she hissed. Skip simply chuckled, a mean sound that made the girl slink back.

"I don't get paid sweetheart, so you'll have to run a tab."

What was left of the little creatures, the clones had taken care of them. They weren't bothered by the buggers as they set grenades around the entire cave.

Palla watched the others spring into action. The Togruta Padawan, Ahsoka, she noticed was up and about well enough. Younglings.

"Anakin, I messaged Obi-Wan after we managed to get through. He's on his way here to pick us up," she said. Anakin nodded.

"Good, we can have this place wired and ready to blow as soon as possible," he replied.

* * *

It didn't take long for the chamber to be wired. Ahsoka had led them out of the catacombs by way of the tunnels she had come through. They came out into the sunlight of daytime Sonyun.

Momentarily blinded by the light the Jedi stopped to adjust. The Clones, having their helmets on, didn't seem affected. The girl, Tuva, shrank back with a mewled cry. Her eyes were shut tight in the light and she was attempting to bury her face under her arms.

Skip rolled his eyes. "What's wrong with you know?" he growled.

"The light! It hurts!" Tuva screamed at him. "I need my goggles!"

Skip, alarmed by the girl's screaming, allowed her to slip the goggles that were over her head, onto her eyes. Then he clasped her hands once more behind her back.

"Better?" Skip muttered.

Ahsoka was the first to spot the LAAT/i as it broke through the clouds. She pointed up eagerly and shouted to get the other's attention.

"They made it!" she cried.

The clones broke into cheering and waved up to get the craft's attention. The wings dipped in acknowledgment and it proceeded to land as close to them as possible.

They made their way to the LAAT/i. They had to squint as the wind was whipped up from the thing's engines.

The sliding doors opened and Obi-Wan stepped off the vehicle along with his commander, Cody. He glanced over them and frowned a bit at Palla.

Palla rolled her eyes and stood up straighter. "Glad you made it alright, Master Kenobi," she said. She nudged Brace in the side. "You go look after your comrades, I'll be fine." Reluctantly the trooper left her side and met up with Jackson to help him with the other men.

Obi-Wan walked over to the group. The other Clones began to check gear and prepare to move out.

"We found what had happened, it's a long story so I guess you can be briefed when we get to the temple," Anakin said. He rubbed his forehead wearily.

"No men lost then?" Obi-Wan asked. Anakin looked back at the base.

"Two scouts, Blare and Winger. The men of Pike Company were all dead when we got here, except one. We found the culprit." Anakin pointed back to Tuva. The girl was slunk in as small a shape as possible. She had been restrained by hand locks.

Obi-Wan cast a glance over her. "Well," he said after a moment. "Has she said anything? Where she's from?"

Palla spoke up. "Not yet; what I gathered was that she might be a native, or at least related. Turns out the rumors about the people here were correct."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Ah well, we can discuss this on way back to Coruscant. Palla, I've just had word that after your report to the council that you are to pick up a Company from Kamino."

Palla raised her eyebrows in surprise. "When did the council make _that_ decision? I was assuming I'd be grounded there forever."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Ah, well. That was before my time on the council."

Anakin looked confusedly between the two. "What's all this?"

Palla pursed her lips. "It's nothing." She waved them to the LAAT/i. "Shall we go? I recall we have an underground cave system to destroy. I don't fancy being there when the thing goes up."

The three Jedi made their way to the LAAT/i and moved aboard. The doors shut and the craft began to lift into the air.

Palla's hand brushed the belt pouch on her tunic when the LAAT/i shifted. She stopped when she felt the outline of something that she didn't remember putting in there. She looked down and lifted out something when no one was looking.

It was a small round disc-like amulet.

Palla felt her face drain of color as she shoved the item back in her pouch. She looked about to see if her action had gone unnoticed. No one seemed to have seen her, so Palla acted as if nothing happened while her mind wandered back to the item in her pouch.

Unbeknownst to Palla, someone had seen her.

Tuva's sharp eyes watched greedily as the Jedi stuffed the amulet back in the pouch at her belt. Her work was already done then. She felt a smile tug at her lips. _Stupid woman,_ she thought. _My work has been cut in half then, good. A sacrifice has been made._

 **End of Part One**

 **So, I know what you guys are thinking. "WHAT? No Well? We were looking forward to that!"**

 **I have played it out this way because any way that I tried to write it withing the Well, ugh...it didn't fit. So! I'm going for a different approach by keeping you guys wondering while I build up on what truly happened in the Well. Bit by bit.**

 **Keep reading and Part Two will be posted in due time. Stay tuned for "Part Two: Chapter Ten"!**


	10. Part Two: Chapter 10

**Hello again me hearty friends! Yes, another chapter to make up for times lost. I do believe I'm back on track. feel free to tell me how I'm doing and let me know what I can do to make this as interesting as possible. Remember I eagerly check for reviews everyday.**

 **Part Two**

 **Chapter Ten**

 _I'd like to believe that the events of the Well had merely been a dream; or perhaps a hellish nightmare. Unfortunately I now realize that it was indeed a real place and I had truly gone there._

 _Where to begin? Ah, that is a truly difficult question._

 _The moment I truly realized the reality of the ordeal was when my hand touched upon the Amulet. I confess that I had quite a start._

 _Half of me wished it was not there while…ashamedly I was_ glad _that it was mine. I didn't want anyone else to have it. Is that to odd a thing to say? Perhaps. Even now as I look at it beside me, I can't help but feel a sort of longing to stroke it._

 _The Well master, or the "Father of the Well" as the ancient worshippers called him, was right in saying that the Amulet drew beings in. I hope to not be overcome by it at least. It is too great a thing for me to have. I shall give it to Master Yoda as soon as we reach Coruscant._

 _In some ways I pitied the Well master; he was a dreadful creature of mist. He had no shape that I could see and his voice was smoother than the finest Alderaan honey. I shudder now as I think of it. He spoke of his past, brought on by his own greed of course. I shall have to inform Master Yoda._

 _Whoever had ensnared the young girl Tuva was looking for this item; I cannot help but assume they meant it for ill use. How is one to use this without in turn falling into the dark side? I have not the answer._

 _A note to be made: I shall be returning to active service! After at least fourteen years…has it been that long? I am to be assigned to a company of clones. I enjoy the presence of the clones; an odd sort of group, but fine men to stand by._

 _One, a sergeant who goes by the name of Jory, he is an enjoyable person. His fellow comrades, a medic named Jackson and a private by the name of Brace, I met as well. They are very fine fighters._

 _Brace is a strange one, now that I ponder it. He seemed attached to my former master. I fear that he dislikes me, or rather did. I have yet to solve that puzzle._

 _He does have an aura; he cloaks it well enough that I cannot sense his feeling much. He is much attuned to his surroundings; perhaps the Force is stronger in this one? I don't know._

 _I hope to be a good general, though I'm no warrior. But I shall do my best._

Palla set her pen down beside the flimsy journal she kept. She rubbed the bridge of her nose then set her chin on her fingertips. Almost a day ago she had been in a fight between death and life on a small and lonesome planet. It seemed like a life time ago really.

Palla closed her book and slipped the pen inside the binding. She put the book away in the pack at the side of her small desk. She stopped when she saw the small bundle of cloth that she had made to hold the Amulet. Her hand strayed to it for a moment before she angrily snapped the pack closed; turning away from the tempting item.

If she took it out again she'd be staring, mesmerized at it yet again.

Palla sighed and stood up to stretch out her shoulders. She had removed her tunic previously so she was only in the sleeveless undershirt she wore with her trousers. Her boots were tossed somewhere near her narrow bunk.

Palla tossed the pack out of sight and sat on the edge of her bunk. The bunk was firm and the blankets were slightly scratchy, but they were warm and beat lying on cold rock trying to sleep.

Obi-Wan had said that they would reach Coruscant in about a day or two in hyperspace. Palla stretched out tiredly on her bed; she didn't even bother to pull the covers over her before she dropped off to sleep.

* * *

Tuva Libath sat in the corner of her holding cell curled up in a tight ball of self-pity and loathing. She felt small and useless. Her plan definitely did not consist of this. All she had was plan _aurek_ and after that failed…well it was safe to say that she had no plan _besh._

Tuva squinted at the red energy shield that kept her cut off from leaving her cell. The Jedi hadn't questioned her yet. She had no idea what kind of tortures they might preform.

 _Grandfather said they were the cause of our religion dying off,_ Tuva thought. She withdrew her eyes from the energy field. She could feel the hatred balling inside her stomach.

She thought of the Jedi woman and her thoughts strayed to that of the Amulet. Tuva had seen it, she was sure of it. But how to get it? _And get off this tub?_ she thought. Tuva looked back up at the energy shield. The first thing would be removing herself from the holding cell; then and only then could she think of what to do next.

Tuva stood slowly and moved closer to the doorway. She could see through the red haze at the single clone trooper guarding her cell. He was turned away from her, apparently bored by the fact that he had to run guard duty.

All the better for Tuva.

The girl looked above her to the small vent shaft that circulated the recycled air into her cell. If she could reach it and squeeze through unnoticed then…Tuva smiled a little. She'd just have to get at it.

* * *

"And she hadn't told you anything?"

"No, and I hardly remember a thing myself."

Obi-Wan Kenobi shook his head. He and Anakin were on the bridge, moved off a little ways from any sharp ears. Their conversation had landed on the tender line of the encounter with the Well.

"Palla Tadè is well trained in the ways of the Force, almost a master at it I'm sure," Obi-wan said slowly. "I can't help but notice that she seems a little more drained than usual. It just isn't like her to be so mysterious."

Anakin shrugged. He didn't know Palla as well as Obi-Wan may have, so it wasn't as if he could agree or disagree on anything his former master said.

"Ahsoka saw her earlier today; she said that Master Tadè had been distracted." Anakin rubbed his chin. "Perhaps it's just that she had to do most of the mission on her own. It certainly didn't turn out how we expected and you said that she hadn't been outside Coruscant on a mission since she was knighted. Maybe she's mulling over some things," Anakin said he suddenly got a gleam in his eye.

"Maybe you could talk to her?" he said. Obi-Wan cast Anakin a confused look.

"Why me?"

"You're the one who's so good with the ladies; I'm sure you two can share a cup of tea together." Then on a more serious not Anakin continued, "Besides, you've known her longer than I have."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard; he hadn't talked much with the woman of late. Although he did remember meeting her a few times when he was a Padawan and she had recently been accepted by Gal Naratah as his apprentice. The two had gotten along well enough, although he had to say that Palla had been quite a shy and lonely sort of thing. _Still is a sort of loner,_ he thought.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the presence of a cone trooper appearing on deck. He could sense a sheen of worry flowing of the man as Obi-Wan sensed in the Force.

"Sir, permission to report, sir!" the clone huffed. He did indeed seem highly agitated.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Go on, trooper," he said.

"Sir, the prisoner…the uh," here the clone paused momentarily before plunging forward in an awkward gusto. "Sir, the prisoner has escaped!"

Anakin stepped forward. "What? How?"

The Clone turned his helmeted head to Anakin, "Sir, we believe she went through the air vent; I have a squad of men closing off some of the shafts now and running a scan."

Anakin swore under his breath and held his comlink to his mouth. "Rex? I need you on the bridge immediately. We have a security breach."

Anakin shut the device off and turned to his former master. "Looks like we'll be busy for a while; a prisoner can't hide forever on one of these things."

* * *

The buzzing was insistent and hadn't stopped. No matter how hard Palla smooshed the pillow against her head the sound didn't stop. With some bad temper the Jedi relented and shot out of bed. She shivered a bit at the coldness in her darkened room. She made her way to the door and allowed the door to slide open.

Palla scrunched her nose in confusion. There was no one outside her door; she stepped out into the brightly lit hallway, no one was there either. Palla blinked a few times to clear her vision.

She heard the heavy footfall of someone running down the hall. She turned and hailed down the clone trooper who was hurrying along his way, almost ignoring her.

"You there!" she barked not unkindly. "What's going on, did you see anyone on your way down this hallway?"

The clone stopped and was silent for a few moments. Palla sensed some sort of mixed feeling of embarrassment flooding off of him. Palla was suddenly aware of her state of dress, no shoes, rumpled hair and the thin sleeveless shirt she wore beneath her tunic. She thanked the Force that it was black in color.

"Uh, I haven't seen anyone Ma'am," the clone said awkwardly. "I was on my way to the bridge, the uh, prisoner has escaped and we're to search the vents for her."

Palla frowned and allowed the trooper to be on his way. All of the sudden she felt highly paranoid.

Despite herself Palla cast a glance at the bag that she had tossed….

 _Wait a moment…_

Palla hurried to her pack after switching on the light. In the she could see that her pack had been hastily moved and the straps on the front were undone, as if someone hadn't taken the time to fasten them.

Cursing herself beneath her breath, Palla rummaged around the pack. Not finding what she was looking for, she impatiently dumped the pack on the floor. The sack holding the Amulet was nowhere in the back.

Palla looked wildly up at the vent which, in the light, she could see had been loosened. The girl had probably been the one to ring at the door, and then distraction complete she had stolen the Amulet.

Palla could feel an unfamiliar feeling of rage claw into her stomach making her knees shake. Alarmed she calmed herself with a few breaths, all was not lost yet.

Hurriedly Palla dressed and strapped her lightsaber to her belt and drew up a stool so she could take off the metal grating at her vent. Then, with a slight Force jump, she landed in the vent and followed the only direction available.

* * *

Tuva was giddy with excitement. The plan had been all too easy; the Jedi fell for it superbly. Tuva snickered as she dropped lightly from the vent into the darkened hangar where the Jedi delta fighters lay undisturbed.

Glancing about to make sure no clone details were lying in wait, the girl made her way to the nearest fighter. She climbed onto the fighter and slipped inside. She switched the fighter on with a few flicks of some buttons.

The clones had followed a lead that she had sent ahead of her. A few knocked off barrels and some bangs for good measure had sent them down their wild womp-rat chase, leaving the hangar bay undisturbed.

Tuva climbed out of the fighter and slid to the hangar doors. She peeked out and, satisfied that no one was around, she closed the doors. Then she pulled out a device from her pocket and flipped a switch.

The plan was to get the whole ship's power system to make a surge so that, in order to stay operational, the captain would have to order the ship to be taken out of hyperspace. Only then could Tuva remotely program the port doors to open, allowing her to slip of the ship and out of reach.

As planned she felt the ship surge, and she gazed out the bay windows as the glowing stars one by one moved to a still. The whole action took only five minutes. Good procedure for a large destroyer.

Tuva pried the control panel off the hangar doors and fried the controls so none would be entering. Then she made her way to the control station and proceeded to unlock the doors to the bay. The shields went down slowly and Tuva raced back to the fight and placed it delicately inside the hyperspace ring that was meant for those ships. She glanced back at the hangar doors to see a blue lightsaber carving a circle through the doors. She smirked.

 _Too late my Jedi friends,_ she thought to herself. She piloted the fighter out the doors and into open space. The Jedi wouldn't fire on her so she had nothing to worry as she programmed the ship for Florrum, a pirate haven planet.

The ship powered up and in a few seconds burst into hyperspace away from the republic destroyer.

* * *

Palla dropped too late into the hangar bay as she watched the Sonyuni girl and the stolen fighter move out of the bay. The ship lit into hyperspace and was gone.

Palla was then aware of the lightsaber sawing through the door behind her. She waited a moment till the job was done and the newly made hole was pushed outward and Anakin, backed by Ahsoka, leapt into the bay.

"Did she get away?" Anakin asked. Palla nodded sullenly.

"I'm afraid so," she replied. "And she took more than that fighter with her."


	11. Announcement

After lots of thinking and stuff...I've decided to reopen Failure to Report. It's going to be under construction so I can edit a few weak points I think need some work. I felt sad that I left it and all soooo I'm starting it up again. Bear with me through the changes! And be sure to read from the beginning!


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